Nigeria's Super Falcons Unveil WAFCON 2026 Squad

Nigeria’s Super Falcons have drawn back the curtain on their WAFCON 2026 plans, naming a 25-woman squad aimed squarely at extending their dominance over African women’s football.

This is not a rebuild. It is a reload.

Ajibade leads, Oshoala returns, Plumptre absent

Head coach Justine Madugu, speaking through the Nigeria Football Federation, has gone for a deliberate blend of hardened campaigners and rising talent for the tournament in Morocco, which runs from July 26 to August 16.

Rasheedat Ajibade wears the armband and the responsibility. The forward, now one of the most influential figures in the squad, will be asked to drive the team from midfield and attack, linking generations and setting the tone.

Alongside her, six-time African Women’s Player of the Year Asisat Oshoala is back in the cast. When fit and focused, she remains one of the most feared forwards in the women’s game, and her presence instantly lifts Nigeria’s attacking ceiling.

There is a notable omission. Star defender Ashleigh Plumptre misses out as she continues her recovery from surgery, a blow to Nigeria’s back line and to Madugu’s options in possession. The coach has chosen not to gamble on fitness.

Nnadozie anchors a squad built to win now

In goal, Chiamaka Nnadozie of Brighton & Hove Albion stays firmly installed as No. 1. Her recent run of outstanding performances for club and country has made that position almost non-negotiable.

She is joined in the goalkeeping unit by Comfort Erhabor of Portsmouth Ladies and Abia Angels’ Fatima Oloko, both tasked with pushing Nnadozie and providing cover in a position where Nigeria have rarely looked this secure.

Madugu’s list is cleanly structured: three goalkeepers, eight defenders, five midfielders and nine forwards. It is an attacking tilt that underlines Nigeria’s intent. They are not travelling to Morocco to sit back.

The defence leans on experience but leaves room for fresh legs. Osinachi Ohale, Michelle Alozie, Oluwatosin Demehin, Rofiat Imuran, Shukurat Oladipo, Glory Ogbonna, Sikiratu Isah and Christy Ucheibe all make the final cut, forming a group that can both absorb pressure and step high when required.

Ucheibe, listed among the defenders, offers the kind of defensive midfield versatility that becomes priceless in tournament football.

Midfield engine built around Ajibade

Ajibade will be the heartbeat in midfield, asked to marry industry with invention. Around her, Madugu has chosen players who can cover ground and keep the ball under pressure.

Halimatu Ayinde brings bite and positional discipline. Deborah Abiodun adds energy and ball-winning. Toni Payne offers technical security and the ability to knit play through the thirds, while Jennifer Echegini brings forward thrust and an eye for goal.

It is a compact unit in numbers, but rich in profile. The expectation is clear: the ball must move quickly, and it must move forward.

Firepower everywhere you look

Up front, the coach is spoilt. Oshoala headlines a forward line that is as deep as any on the continent.

She is joined by Folashade Ijamilusi, Esther Okoronkwo, Chinwendu Ihezuo, Francisca Ordega, Gift Monday, Uchenna Kanu, Omorinsola Babajide and Joy Omewa. Different speeds, different strengths, one shared mandate: overwhelm opponents.

Ordega’s experience, Kanu’s movement, Babajide’s direct running, Monday’s relentlessness – Madugu has options for every type of game and every kind of defensive block.

Many of these players arrive from Europe’s top leagues, others from North America, Asia and the Nigerian Women’s Football League. The mix gives the squad a broad tactical education and a strong domestic heartbeat, a combination that has historically served the Super Falcons well.

A giant returns to its favourite stage

Nigeria travel to Morocco as the benchmark of African women’s football. Ten-time champions, serial winners, and still the team everyone measures themselves against.

Their last triumph came in the previous edition, a dramatic 3-2 victory over hosts Morocco in the final. That night confirmed what the rest of the continent already knew: to win WAFCON, you almost always have to go through Nigeria.

Now the mission is to defend the crown and push the record out of sight.

Group C: familiar foes and a new face

The route begins in Group C, where Nigeria will face Zambia, Egypt and Malawi.

The Super Falcons open their campaign against tournament debutants Malawi on Tuesday, July 28, at Al Madina Stadium in Rabat. It will be the first senior competitive meeting between the two countries, a fixture loaded with danger for any heavyweight tempted to underestimate a newcomer.

Next comes Zambia on Saturday, August 1, at the same venue. History leans Nigeria’s way – two wins from three past meetings – but the scar from the last encounter is still fresh. Zambia’s 1-0 victory in the third-place playoff at WAFCON 2022 shifted the dynamic between the sides and has turned this group clash into one of the most anticipated games of the opening phase.

Nigeria close out the group against Egypt on Wednesday, August 5, at the Rabat Region Stadium. The Falcons demolished Egypt 6-0 in their only previous WAFCON meeting back in 1998, at the inaugural African Women’s Championship. That scoreline belongs to another era. Egypt’s women’s programme has grown since then, and Nigeria know reputations do not win points.

World Cup ticket on the line

The stakes in Morocco stretch beyond continental bragging rights. WAFCON 2026 doubles as Africa’s qualification route to the 2027 FIFA Women’s World Cup in Brazil.

Reach the semi-finals, and a World Cup ticket comes with it. Four places, one continent, and a familiar question hanging over the field.

Can anyone stop the Super Falcons?

Confirmed Super Falcons squad for WAFCON 2026

• Goalkeepers: Chiamaka Nnadozie, Erhabor Comfort, Oloko Fatima.
• Defenders: Osinachi Ohale, Oluwatosin Demehin, Michelle Alozie, Rofiat Imuran, Shukurat Oladapo, Glory Ogbonna, Sikiratu Isah.
• Midfielders: Deborah Abiodun, Christy Ucheibe, Halimatu Ayinde, Rasheedat Ajibade, Jennifer Echegini, Toni Payne.