Kunle Adewale
Tomorrow’s Women’s African Cup of Nations (WAFCON) quarter final clash between the Super Falcons of Nigeria and the Indomitable Lioness of Cameroon is not just a ticket for the semifinals of the competition, but a ticket to the 2027 World Cup in Brazil.
Super Falcons scraped through the quarter-finals after recovering from an opening Group C opening game loss to Malawi to beat Zambia and Egypt.
However, the eggheads of the 10-time African champions are not taking things lying low after the team’s coach, Justine Madugu declared that his players would approach the game with maximum focus. “It’s a final for us. We won’t take it for granted,” Madugu told reporters after his side’s victory over Egypt. The gaffer also admitted that they put themselves in a difficult position after losing to Malawi in their first game. “We put ourselves in a very difficult position, but thank God we managed to get out of it. The competition is just starting for us,” Madugu said. Meanwhile, former Super Falcons chief coach, Kadiri Ikhana has warned that Nigeria risk crashing out of WAFCON 2026 when they face Cameroon’s Indomitable Lionesses in Sunday’s quarterfinal at the Larbi Zaouli Stadium in Casablanca, unless the team significantly raises its level. “Super Falcons have not impressed so far in the championship, and I don’t see them beating Cameroon if they fail to raise their game when they clash in the quarterfinals on Sunday, August 9,” Ikhana said. “I just hope the Super Falcons find their rhythm again, reach the semifinals and pick a World Cup ticket.” His concern is rooted in how uneven Nigeria’s group stage actually was. The Super Falcons lost their opener to tournament debutants Malawi, then needed wins over Zambia and Egypt just to scale through. “I don’t really know why our girls have not been at their best so far. They should realise that a World Cup ticket is at stake, and we cannot afford to miss the chance of qualifying for the World Cup,” Ikhana added, referencing the fact that this year’s WAFCON doubles as qualification for the 2027 FIFA Women’s World Cup. Cameroon arrive as one of the form teams of the tournament. The Indomitable Lionesses finished Group D unbeaten with two wins and a draw, conceding just two goals. Despite Ikhana’s concerns, he is not writing Nigeria off. “Based on Cameroon’s group stage performance, they will start as favourites to win on Sunday, but Super Falcons are usually at their best when written off,” he said. “I trust our girls to go all out for victory by not allowing the Lionesses to play their usual high tempo game. It will be a very tough game, but Super Falcons can squeeze through if they come with their A-game.”
Cameroon finished top of Group D, featuring Ghana, Mali and Cape Verde. The winner of this quarter-final will automatically qualify for the 2027 World Cup in Brazil, while the loser will have to attempt to qualify through first the African playoffs between losing quarter-finalists and then the Inter-Confederation playoffs.
Q’final Fixtures
Today
Ivory Coast v Algeria
Morocco v South Africa
Sunday
Cameroon v Nigeria
Malawi v Ghana