Nigeria’s WAFCON 2026 Report Card: 2 Super Falcons stars who delivered & 3 who disappointed

Nigeria Super Falcons’ 2026 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations campaign ended in disappointment, but the problems did not start with the quarter-final defeat by Cameroon or the playoff loss to South Africa, Afrik-Foot reports.

The Super Falcons opened their title defence with a shock 3-2 loss to WAFCON debutants Malawi in Rabat on 28 July. They recovered with a 1-0 win over Zambia and then smashed Egypt 6-2 to reach the quarter-finals. Cameroon ended their hopes of an 11th title with a 1-0 victory on 9 August.

Nigeria then lost 2-1 to South Africa in Casablanca on Thursday night in the World Cup play-off. It is a failure eerily foretold by veteran American coach Randy Waldrum. The defeat was even more painful because it ended Nigeria’s hopes of reaching the 2027 World Cup for the first time. The Super Falcons had never previously missed the competition.

Here are the two players who stood out and the three figures who had the most difficult tournament.

The Standouts

Asisat Oshoala: Super Falcons’ most reliable attacker

Oshoala was Nigeria’s clearest attacking threat during a tournament in which the team often struggled to create chances. The veteran forward scored twice in four WAFCON matches. Both goals came when Nigeria badly needed them.

Against Zambia, Oshoala struck in the eighth minute at the Al Madina Stadium in Rabat. Nigeria had lost their opening match to Malawi and knew another defeat would put their title defence in serious danger. Her early goal gave them a 1-0 victory despite playing most of the match with 10 players after Oluwatosin Demehin was sent off in the 40th minute.

Oshoala was also on target against Egypt three days later. She converted a penalty in the 21st minute as Nigeria began their 6-2 win at the Rabat Olympic Stadium. The result took the Falcons into the quarter-finals. That gave her 16 WAFCON goals in total, having entered the tournament with 14.

Her influence was also clear in the World Cup play-off against South Africa. Oshoala started the match as Nigeria searched for another important performance from the experienced forward, although she could not prevent the 2-1 defeat. Nigeria needed more goals from their attack during the tournament. Oshoala provided them when the pressure was at its highest.

Michelle Alozie: the defender who kept fighting

Alozie was one of Nigeria’s most dependable performers during a difficult WAFCON campaign, even though she was played out of position. In the absence of the injured Ashleigh Plumptre, right-back Alozie was tasked with manning the Super Falcons’ left-back role. Although, she struggled at times, she still delivered performances full of heart, grit, and bravery.

Her tournament began with the 3-2 defeat by Malawi, but she responded strongly in the following matches. Against Zambia, Alozie produced a particularly important defensive display as Nigeria played with 10 players for more than 50 minutes following Demehin’s dismissal. She was subsequently named the Woman of the Match.

Her value was not only in defending. Alozie’s pace allowed Nigeria to deal with Zambia’s attacks while also giving the Falcons an outlet down the flank.

She was again trusted from the start against South Africa in the crucial World Cup play-off. Madugu kept her alongside Demehin, Osinachi Ohale and Shukurat Oladipo in the back four.

Alozie could not prevent South Africa from winning 2-1, but the result should not erase her contribution during the tournament. Unlike some of Nigeria’s other defenders, she gave the team pace, athleticism and flexibility at a time when the back line was repeatedly exposed.

Her 2026 WAFCON campaign did not produce the late goal that sent Nigeria into the 2025 final against South Africa, but she still had one of the more convincing individual campaigns in a team that struggled to reproduce its previous success.

The Mediocres

Chiamaka Nnadozie: a tournament to forget

Nnadozie arrived in Morocco as arguably the most highly rated goalkeeper in African football. She had won the CAF Best Goalkeeper award for three successive years from 2023 to 2025 and had been a key part of Nigeria’s title-winning team last year.

But this tournament was very different. The Super Falcons conceded three goals against Malawi, the first time they had conceded three in a WAFCON match. Nnadozie later accepted responsibility for the opening defeat.

She kept a clean sheet against Zambia, but the Super Falcons then conceded twice against Egypt before Cameroon scored the only goal in the quarter-final. The Cameroon goal was particularly painful. Myriam Maéva Nyadjou Wamen scored in the 19th minute from a free-kick situation, with questions later raised about Nnadozie’s positioning.

Nnadozie finished the Cameroon match with two saves, while Cameroon’s goalkeeper Michaely Bihina made nine. Nigeria managed only six shots in the entire game.

The problems continued against South Africa. Nnadozie made four saves but conceded twice as Thembi Kgatlana scored in the 56th minute and Refiloe Jane struck in the 77th. Nigeria lost 2-1 and their World Cup hopes ended.

A goalkeeper with Nnadozie’s record was expected to give Nigeria greater security. Instead, mistakes and questions around her positioning became part of the story of the campaign and could see her lose her cherished continental crown.

Oluwatosin Demehin: costly discipline problems

Often a dependable pillar in the Super Falcons defence, Demehin’s tournament was damaged by several key moments that were mostly costly for the team. The Galatasaray defender was uncharacteristically sloppy against debutants Malawi as Nigeria conceded three open-play goals for the first time in the history of the tournament.

Demehin made another error in the meeting with Zambia. Nigeria had taken an eighth-minute lead against the Copper Queens through Oshoala when Demehin was sent off in the 40th minute. The dismissal left Nigeria with 10 players for more than half the match.

Nigeria defended that lead bravely and won 1-0, so Demehin’s red card did not cost the team points that night.

It did cost her the next match. CAF suspended Demehin for the Egypt game, meaning Madugu had to change his defence for a match Nigeria had to win to reach the quarter-finals. Demehin returned for the Cameroon match, but Nigeria were beaten 1-0 and their title defence ended.

She was also far from her best against South Africa and, sadly, this may be the last time we see her centre-back partnership with the aging Osinachi Ohale.

Justine Madugu: the coach whose decisions came under pressure

Madugu deserves a place on the difficult side of this list because the Super Falcons’ problems were not only about individual errors. His reputation coming into Morocco was strong. CAF named him Coach of the Tournament after Nigeria won the 2024 WAFCON, while he had also been part of Nigeria’s technical set-up at earlier editions.

The 2026 campaign, however, exposed several tactical problems. Against Malawi, Madugu started Esther Okoronkwo, Florence Ijamilusi and Chinwendu Ihezuo in attack. None of the three managed a shot on target in the first half, despite Nigeria having much of the ball.

Malawi eventually scored three goals, including two from Temwa Chawinga, as the Super Falcons suffered the first WAFCON defeat by a tournament debutant.

Madugu’s response against Zambia worked. Nigeria won 1-0 despite Demehin’s red card, and his substitutions helped the team protect the lead. Against Egypt, Nigeria produced their best attacking display of the tournament, winning 6-2. Even that was a shaky win as it was the first time the Egyptians will manage two goals in a game in WAFCON history.

And the quarter-final against Cameroon exposed the limits of that recovery. Nigeria had only six shots and failed to score, while Cameroon goalkeeper Bihina made nine saves.

Madugu also faced questions over his decision to keep Nnadozie in goal despite the criticism surrounding her performances against Malawi and Cameroon. He retained her for the South Africa play-off, where she conceded twice in the 2-1 defeat.

The final outcome was a historic one. Nigeria failed to reach the WAFCON semi-finals for the first time and then lost the World Cup play-off to South Africa. The defeat in Casablanca against Banyana Banyana ended their unbroken run of appearances at the Women’s World Cup.

Madugu had taken Nigeria from a title-winning campaign to a tournament in which the team could not get beyond the quarter-finals. That sharp change makes his management one of the main issues Nigeria must examine after Morocco.