The Black Stars of Ghana have seen a significant drop in the November 2024 FIFA World Rankings, falling four places to 77th position.

This decline follows the national team’s disappointing performances in recent international fixtures, including their failure to qualify for the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON), a tournament Ghana has historically been a major contender.

The team's struggles in the AFCON qualifiers, where they finished bottom of Group F with only three points and failed to win any of their six matches, have severely impacted their standing.

Angola and Sudan secured the top two spots in the group, ensuring their qualification for the tournament in Morocco, while Ghana was left to rue its poor showing.

This setback marks a significant low for the Black Stars, who are now considered one of the worst-performing teams in Africa.

Ghana’s failure to qualify for the AFCON echoes a similar situation in 2004, when they also missed out on the continental tournament and dropped to a then-record low of 89th in the FIFA rankings.

In the latest rankings, Ghana sits at 77th globally, with their standing further compounded by a 14th-place position in the African rankings.

Their poor showing in the AFCON qualifiers—where they recorded just one point from two games against Angola and Niger—has made it difficult to climb the rankings.

Niger, on the other hand, has seen a significant rise in the rankings due to their back-to-back victories in the final round of the AFCON qualifiers, including a dominant 4-0 win over Sudan and a crucial 2-1 away victory against Ghana in Accra.

With no international fixtures until March 2025, when Ghana will play in the 2026 World Cup qualifiers against Chad and Madagascar, the Black Stars will have to use the upcoming months to regroup and recover from their current slump.

The next FIFA rankings are set to be released on December 12, 2024, and Ghana's performance in the World Cup qualifiers will be crucial in determining their future standing.