FIFA Ranking: Ghana drop five places to 70th following AFCON qualifying defeats

The Ghanaian national football team, known as the Black Stars, has suffered a decline in their FIFA World Ranking, falling to 70th place. This drop occurred after their first two matches in the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifying campaign, both of which ended in defeats. The Stars lost 2-0 to Côte d'Ivoire and then 4-2 to The Gambia.

As a result, they lost a total of 25.73 points, bringing their ranking down from 65th. The ranking was determined based on 338 men's international matches played since the end of the 2026 FIFA World Cup on July 19, including UEFA, Concacaf Nations League fixtures, and 2027 AFCON qualifiers. This significant drop marks a difficult period for the four-time African champions, who had also failed to qualify for the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations.

Following these losses, Ghana mutually terminated their contract with head coach Carlos Queiroz. A scheduled friendly match against the top-ranked team, Morocco, was also cancelled. Currently, Ghana is ranked 14th on the African continent. The team is now preparing to rebuild under new management, with their next match set against Somalia, who is currently ranked 200th in the world.

The United Arab Emirates, Albania, Honduras, Cabo Verde, and Jamaica are currently sitting just above Ghana in the global rankings. Morocco remains Africa's highest-ranked team, at 7th place, followed by Senegal in 18th place. Côte d'Ivoire is in 29th position, while Nigeria has dropped four places to 30th. At the top of the global rankings, Spain remains the 2026 FIFA World Cup champions, with Argentina second and France third.