Ghana have dropped five places to 70th in the latest FIFA Men’s World Ranking released on Wednesday, October 7, 2026, following a difficult start to their 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifying campaign.

The Black Stars, who were ranked 65th in the previous update, lost 25.73 ranking points and are now 14th among African nations. The latest ranking was calculated from 338 men’s international matches played since the 2026 FIFA World Cup ended on July 19, including UEFA and Concacaf Nations League matches as well as AFCON qualifiers.

Ghana's slide follows consecutive defeats in their opening AFCON qualifiers. They lost 2-0 to Côte d’Ivoire in Bouaké before suffering a 4-2 home defeat to The Gambia, leaving the Black Stars without a point from their first two matches.

The poor run also contributed to the departure of Carlos Queiroz, who left his position by mutual agreement after winning just one of his seven matches in charge. Ghana had also missed out on qualification for the 2025 AFCON.

The Black Stars will have an opportunity to improve their position in November when they face Somalia in back-to-back qualifiers. Somalia are currently ranked 200th in the world.

At the top of the African rankings, Morocco remain the continent’s highest-ranked side despite dropping one place to seventh globally. Senegal are second in Africa and 18th worldwide, while Egypt occupy 25th position.

Algeria are ranked 28th, followed by Côte d’Ivoire in 29th and Nigeria in 30th. DR Congo are 40th, Cameroon 42nd, Mali 47th and South Africa 48th.

Globally, Spain remain top after their strong run following the World Cup, with Argentina second, France third and England fourth. Portugal climbed two places to fifth, while Brazil slipped to sixth.

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