Silver nanoparticles have been extensively used as the anti-microbial agent in medicine. The present study addressed their antifungal potential against phytopathogenic fungi. Ag-SiO2 core–shell nanoparticles (Ag-SiO2 NPs) with an average size of 118.2 ± 4.6 nm were successfully prepared. The released Ag+ slowly through the outer porous SiO2 coating layer from the silver cores was detected in potato dextrose medium, reaching a peak value of 0.016 ppm around day 4. Ag-SiO2 NPs have displayed excellent antifungal effects against tested phytopathogenic fungi even at a low concentration of 0.5 ppm. The antifungal activity of these Ag-SiO2 NPs is not just the effect of dissolved Ag+ released from the nanoparticles. Our results suggested that the induced reactive oxygen species (ROS) by Ag-SiO2 NPs were involved in the effect of growth inhibition on tested fungi.