Ghana fall to 70th in FIFA rankings after poor AFCON start

Ghana have dropped five places to 70th in the latest FIFA World Men's Ranking following a poor start to their 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifying campaign.

The Black Stars, who were ranked 65th in the previous standings, lost 25.73 points and are now 14th among African nations in the rankings released on Wednesday, 7 October.

Ghana's fall comes after defeats in their opening two Group C qualifiers.

The four-time African champions began their campaign with a 2-0 defeat by Côte d'Ivoire in Bouaké before suffering a 4-2 loss to The Gambia at the Accra Sports Stadium.

Those results leave Ghana without a point from their opening two matches and bottom of the group.

The disappointing run also preceded the departure of coach Carlos Queiroz, who stepped down after winning just one of his seven matches in charge.

The Ghana Football Association and Sports Ministry have since formed a five-member technical search committee to recommend a new coach for the Black Stars.

The latest ranking setback adds to a difficult period for Ghana, who also failed to qualify for the 2025 AFCON in Morocco.

The Black Stars will have an opportunity to revive their qualifying campaign in November when they face Somalia in back-to-back Group C fixtures at the Accra Sports Stadium.

Morocco remain Africa's highest-ranked team at seventh in the world, while Senegal are 18th.

Côte d'Ivoire are ranked 29th, with Nigeria dropping four places to 30th.