Ghana’s Black Stars have suffered another blow in their recent decline on the international stage, dropping five places to 70th in the latest FIFA World Rankings.
The four-time African champions fell from 65th after losing 25.73 ranking points, with their poor start to the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers playing a major role in the drop.
Ghana are now ranked 14th among African teams in the rankings released on Wednesday, October 7.
The latest FIFA ranking was based on 338 men’s international matches played since the end of the 2026 FIFA World Cup, including results from the 2027 AFCON qualifiers and other continental competitions.
The Black Stars’ disappointing results in Group C have significantly affected their position. Ghana opened their qualifying campaign with a 2-0 defeat to Côte d’Ivoire in Bouaké before suffering a painful 4-2 home loss to The Gambia after surrendering a two-goal lead at the Accra Sports Stadium.
The back-to-back defeats have left Ghana bottom of the group without a point and increased pressure on the Ghana Football Association to revive the team’s fortunes.
The poor run also contributed to the departure of Carlos Queiroz, who left his role as Black Stars coach after a short second spell in charge, managing just one win in seven matches.
Ghana’s latest ranking setback adds to a difficult period for the national team, following their failure to qualify for the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations in Morocco — their first absence from the tournament since 2004.
The Black Stars will have the chance to recover when the AFCON qualifiers resume in November with a double-header against Somalia. Positive results in both matches could help Ghana improve their standing ahead of the next FIFA ranking update.
Somalia, currently ranked 200th in the world, present Ghana with an opportunity to secure crucial points and rebuild confidence.
Meanwhile, Morocco remain Africa’s highest-ranked side, sitting seventh globally, followed by Senegal in 18th and Egypt in 25th. Côte d’Ivoire, who defeated Ghana in the qualifiers, have moved up to 29th, while Nigeria are ranked 30th.
