For the first time in 15 years, the Super Eagles of Nigeria have reached a touching distance of the world’s top 20 national teams, soaring to 26th in the latest FIFA World Rankings.

Rising from 38th in December 2025, the three-time African champions jumped 12 places — recording the highest points — their highest ranking since around 2010, when they were ranked 21st in the world. This surge is largely attributable to Nigeria’s impressive run at the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON), which ended on January 18, 2026.

The Eric Chelle-led side played some of the tournament’s best football, winning five matches and drawing two in regulation time. Their only defeat came in the semi-finals, where they lost to hosts Morocco on penalties. Nigeria went on to defeat seven-time champions Egypt in the third-place playoff, via penalties, ensuring their vibrant campaign — one that saw them score a tournament-high 14 goals — did not go unrewarded.

That bronze-medal finish marked Nigeria’s record 17th podium appearance in AFCON history, two years after their runners-up finish at AFCON 2023, where they lost 2–1 to hosts Côte d’Ivoire in the final.

Ideally, there should be a huge cause for discontent with the Super Eagles’ outing in Morocco, especially after a horrendous World Cup qualifying campaign that preceded it. However, the team’s display left little to be desired by fans until they were tactically bested by a primed host nation. But make no mistake: when AFCON returns to East Africa in 2027, Nigeria will have virtually no excuse for not challenging strongly for the gold medal. The question, then, is how these recent near misses can be consolidated into a long-overdue continental triumph.

The first point of call is the coaching crew. Chelle has not been the most convincing gaffer over the course of his tenure, which began in January 2025. He was in charge of the embarrassing outing at CHAN 2024 with the home-based Super Eagles and, more damagingly, the failure to secure a World Cup ticket, the very task that formed a major part of his mandate, even after Nigeria were handed a rare playoff route.

While José Peseiro and Finidi George undoubtedly made qualification an arduous task in the opening stages, Chelle cannot be absolved of blame, not after overseeing over 60 per cent of the decisive matches. Had AFCON 2025 ended differently, the clamour for his dismissal would have been deafening. However, the Franco-Malian coach redeemed himself to an extent through Nigeria’s progression at the tournament, delivering an exciting run that resonated with fans — arguably more so than even the silver-medal finish under Peseiro in Côte d’Ivoire two years earlier.

Given this circumstance, and the Nigeria Football Federation’s (NFF) uninspiring recruitment history and well-documented financial constraints, it would make little sense to plunge the senior men’s team into yet another coaching upheaval with another AFCON barely a year away.

If the NFF choose to keep faith with Chelle, and the 48-year-old resists reported interest from Tunisia, continuity must be his guiding principle. He should double down on the core group that has shown so much promise, limiting changes to direct replacements to the weak legs that would be exiting the team, or exciting prospects where absolutely necessary.

At this stage, it would be a fool’s errand to hand out invitations to unproven faces unless they are genuinely convincing upgrades. Conversations about including players from the Nigeria Premier Football League (NPFL) are valid, but the national team must first and foremost reflect the best players the country can offer. While certain contractual clauses may bind the coach to domestic selections, the narrow window between now and AFCON 2027 leaves little room for experimentation. The focus should be on maximising a largely proven squad that has shown a concinving credentials of being the continent’s best in the last two AFCONs.