Duro Ikhazuagbe with agency report
Super Falcons’ Number 1 goalkeeper, Chiamaka Nnadozie, has said that Nigeria can still qualify for the 2027 Women’s World Cup despite the tough route now left for the team after missing direct passage with Cameroon defeat on Sunday.
The 10-time African champions failed to reach the semi-finals of the ongoing 2026 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations (WAFCON) in Morocco, falling to a 1-0 defeat by Cameroon in the last eight.
By reaching the Last Four, Cameroon’s Indomitable Lionesses were guaranteed a ticket to next year’s World Cup in Brazil alongside fellow semi-finalists Algeria, Malawi and Morocco.
The defeat also means that Nigeria as (WAFCON) cup holders will now face South Africa in a play-off on Thursday evening for a spot at an inter-confederation qualifier later this year which could give them another chance to reach the global showpiece.
According to Nnadozie, “On Thursday we’ll go out strong, we’ll try to do better than we’ve done (against Cameroon) and hope to get to the next stage of the World Cup qualification. We will go there and make things right.”
The Brighton FC ladies safe hand insisted that it is not over yet for Super Falcons to qualify for the World Cup despite outrage in football circles in the country.
“This is football, this is life. What happened, happened, we just have to keep our heads high. There’s still hope – it’s not over yet,” Nnadozie told the BBC World Service in Morocco.
The Super Falcons have featured at all nine previous editions of the Women’s World Cup stretching back to the inaugural edition in China in 1991.
They made the quarter-finals in 1999 and progressed to the last 16 at the most recent two tournaments.
Yet, after losing their WAFCON crown, Justin Madugu’s side need to get past 2022 champions South Africa to remain in the hunt for a place at the expanded 32-team World Cup.
“The coach has been cheering us up, and we really appreciate that from him,” Nnadozie said.
Elsewhere on Thursday, Ghana will take on Ivory Coast for Africa’s second spot at the inter-continental qualifier.
The two WAFCON play-off winners will enter a 10-nation global competition, with a preliminary stage to be held in November and December. A final round in February which will decide the last three qualifiers for the 2027 World Cup, which begins on 24 June.