Nigeria’s Super Falcons had a disappointing campaign at the recently concluded 2026 CAF Women’s Africa Cup of Nations, WAFCON, tournament in Morocco.
They were eliminated at the quarter-final stage after losing 1-0 to arch-rivals, Cameroon.
DAILY POST reports that the WAFCON ended on Sunday, with Cameroon emerging as winners after beating Malawi 3-0 in the final.
After Nigeria’s defeat to Cameroon, they also lost 2-1 to South Africa in the African play-offs for the 2027 FIFA Women’s World Cup.
The outcome of the South Africa encounter means the Super Falcons will not be at the 2027 FIFA Women’s World Cup in Brazil.
On Monday, the Nigeria Football Federation, NFF, asked Super Falcons head coach, Justine Madugu and members of his technical crew to step down with immediate effect.
The decision to sack Madugu was sequel to Nigeria’s disappointing campaign.
Speaking with DAILY POST on Monday, Saheed Afolabi, who works with Echonews, provided reasons the Super Falcons failed woefully at the WAFCON.
He also admitted that failing to qualify for the FIFA Women’s World Cup would be a bitter lesson for the team.
According to him, “the Super Falcons’ performance was very woeful at the WAFCON. Nigerians placed high expectations on them because they were the defending champions. They have won it a record ten times, which no nation has ever come close to.
“So, people placed so many expectations on the Falcons to win the tournament. Unfortunately, they couldn’t; and they were eliminated in the quarter-finals by the eventual champions, Cameroon.
“The actual cause of the failure was their poor preparation. The Super Falcons first had their camp just three or four days before the competition in Morocco, and that falls entirely on the NFF’s shoulders because they failed to provide adequate camping.
“If the NFF had provided adequate camping for the Falcons, like a month or two months before the competition, it would have given the technical crew a lot of time to prepare well and give Nigeria the best team for the tournament.
“Also, take note that some people might argue that some players came late to camp. Yes, who are those players who came late to camp?
“The players who came late to camp are those playing in the US women’s league because the US women’s league is currently ongoing, and I think just four or five of the Falcons players play there.
“But take a look at the others; they have been on holiday since the season ended in May. So, there were a lot of chances for the NFF to have adequate camping for those who were around since May, when the league was on break.
“Unfortunately, they didn’t utilise them. They already had the expectation that all teams were walkovers for the Falcons in the WAFCON.”
“So, I think this is an eye-opener and an avenue for the team to sit down, learn from their mistakes and actually work towards the next competition and give Nigerians a better team.
“Now, the World Cup is also over. No World Cup for the Super Falcons since their inception in 1991; that is another bitter lesson to take away from the team, a huge disappointment from the Falcons.
“So, it’s a lesson for Nigeria; hopefully, they won’t repeat these kinds of mistakes in the future,” Afolabi told DAILY POST.
‘Bitter lesson’ – Sports pundit, Afolabi reviews Super Falcons’ WAFCON failure, World Cup miss