Black Queens drop to fifth in Africa, falls to 65th in the world

Ghana’s Black Queens have dropped five places to 65th in the latest FIFA Women’s World Ranking, released on Tuesday, October 20, 2026, slipping two places to fifth in Africa following their disappointing 2026 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations (WAFCON) campaign.

The Black Queens were ranked 60th in the world and third in Africa in the previous edition published in June but have lost ground in the latest update.

Nigeria remain Africa’s highest-ranked women’s national team despite dropping seven places to 43rd globally, while South Africa sit 59th.

African champions Cameroon have climbed nine places to 62nd, with Morocco occupying 64th position ahead of Ghana.

The latest rankings reflect the impact of the WAFCON tournament held in Morocco in July and August, where Ghana failed to reach the semi-finals after suffering a quarter-final defeat to Malawi.

The Black Queens’ elimination denied them an automatic qualification place for the 2027 FIFA Women’s World Cup in Brazil, leaving them to pursue their hopes through the qualification play-offs.

Ghana also featured in the Olympic qualifying campaign for the Los Angeles 2028 Games, with the results contributing to the latest ranking update.

While Ghana have suffered a setback, Malawi have recorded the most remarkable rise in the latest standings, climbing an unprecedented 49 places to 104th in the world.

The Scorchers reached their first-ever WAFCON final and secured historic qualification for the 2027 Women’s World Cup.

Their impressive performances at the continental tournament and in the Olympic qualifiers earned them 158.44 ranking points, the biggest points gain in the latest update.

Cameroon have also made significant progress, rising nine places to 62nd after winning the WAFCON title, while Tanzania climbed 11 places to 111th and Burkina Faso moved up nine places to 109th.

However, Egypt recorded the biggest decline, falling 14 places to 113th after losing all three of their group-stage matches at WAFCON. The Democratic Republic of Congo dropped eight places to 114th, while Zimbabwe fell nine places to 136th.

The latest rankings underline the changing balance of women’s football in Africa, with Malawi’s historic progress contrasting with Ghana’s decline.

For the Black Queens, the drop to fifth in Africa comes at a crucial time as they prepare for the preliminary phase of the play-offs for the 2027 Women’s World Cup next month.

Ghana will be hoping to turn their fortunes around and regain ground on the continent as they continue their pursuit of a place at the global showpiece in Brazil.