Nigeria's Super Falcons Aim for WAFCON Glory and World Cup Qualification

Justine Madugu has looked at the mountain in front of Nigeria and reached for something familiar: steel, scars and stars.

The Super Falcons coach has kept the spine of the side that claimed a record 10th Women's Africa Cup of Nations crown last year, rolling again with captain Rasheedat Ajibade, elite goalkeeper Chiamaka Nnadozie and talismanic forward Asisat Oshoala in a 25-player squad built for another deep run.

The mission in Morocco is double-edged. Keep the African throne. Protect a global streak that stretches back three decades.

Nigeria remain the only African country to have appeared at every FIFA Women's World Cup since 1991, one of just seven nations worldwide with that distinction. To keep that line unbroken, Madugu’s team must at least reach the WAFCON semifinals, the threshold that guarantees automatic passage to the 2027 finals in Brazil.

For the coach, that is the first line drawn in bold.

“The next WAFCON will also serve as qualification for the 2027 FIFA Women's World Cup, so our priority will first be to ensure that we make it to the World Cup,” he told CAFonline. “The second goal will be to defend the trophy and bring it back to Nigeria. We know it won't be easy because as champions everybody will now be looking at us.”

The pressure is exactly where Nigeria like it. On their shoulders.

Plumptre’s absence leaves a gap – and a message

One pillar will be missing from the defensive wall. Ashleigh Plumptre, a standout presence at the back in recent years, has not recovered from the injury she suffered in March and sits out the tournament.

Her own words underlined the cost.

“The body is asking for more time and I'm listening,” she wrote on social media, calling it “sad to be missing this WAFCON” but urging Nigerians to “back these women, back them on their quest for victory once more.”

It is a notable hole. Yet it is not a hollowed-out squad.

Madugu has leaned into experience, surrounding his younger core with players who know exactly what it takes to survive a month-long continental grind. Ajibade returns as captain and heartbeat. Nnadozie, widely viewed as Africa’s premier goalkeeper, anchors a back line still rich in nous with Osinachi Ohale, Michelle Alozie, Christy Ucheibe, Halimatu Ayinde and Oshoala forming a hardened core of serial competitors.

Around them, the next wave steps forward.

New leaders emerging

The Super Falcons’ evolution has been clear over the past cycle. The old guard still sets the standards, but the tempo increasingly comes from fresher legs and fearless minds.

Midfielders Jennifer Echegini and Deborah Abiodun bring energy and invention between the lines. In attack, Gift Monday, Esther Okoronkwo and Omorinsola Babajide are being nudged toward bigger roles, expected not just to contribute but to decide games.

Madugu has also kept a sliver of the domestic game in his squad. Abia Angels goalkeeper Fatima Oloko is the lone home-based player, surrounded by 24 teammates drawn from clubs across Europe, North America, Asia and the Middle East. The message is clear: this is a global group carrying a national responsibility.

Group C: no room for easing in

Nigeria’s title defence and World Cup pursuit begins in Rabat, where all three Group C fixtures will be staged. The draw offers no gentle introduction: Egypt, Zambia and debutants Malawi await.

Zambia, with their growing reputation and Olympic experience, pose an obvious threat. Egypt bring structure and discipline. Malawi, new to this stage, arrive with nothing to lose and everything to prove.

The expanded 16-team format changes the feel of the competition. It stretches squads, tests depth, punishes lapses. It also raises the stakes: the four semifinalists punch direct tickets to Brazil 2027, while the fifth-place side must navigate an intercontinental playoff.

Nigeria, with 10 WAFCON titles, have long been the continent’s reference point. This time, they chase another slice of history – to become the first champions to successfully defend the trophy in the enlarged 16-team era.

Madugu knows the target on their backs is larger than ever.

“We are holding something precious that everybody wants,” he said. “But we will remain resolute and focused and try as much as possible to achieve both objectives.”

For a team that has built its identity on dominance, resilience and an unbroken World Cup streak, the equation in Morocco is brutally simple: reach the last four, then go and prove again that the crown still fits.