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Super Falcons captain Rasheedat Ajibade says Nigeria must learn from its disappointing 2026 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations campaign and failure to qualify for the 2027 FIFA Women’s World Cup.
Nigeria’s World Cup hopes ended on Thursday after the Super Falcons suffered a 2-1 defeat to South Africa in the inter-confederation play-off in Morocco.
The defeat came days after Nigeria were eliminated from the WAFCON in the quarter-finals following a 1-0 loss to Cameroon.
It was the first time the Super Falcons failed to reach the semi-finals of the competition, adding to a difficult campaign for the ten-time African champions.
South Africa took the lead through Thembi Kgatlana before Refiloe Jane doubled the advantage, leaving Nigeria with a difficult task in the closing stages.
Christy Ucheibe pulled one back for the Falcons, but the late goal was not enough to prevent South Africa from securing the victory and ending Nigeria’s World Cup hopes.
The result also ended Nigeria’s remarkable record of appearing at every edition of the FIFA Women’s World Cup since the tournament began in 1991.
Ajibade, who played every minute of Nigeria’s campaign in Morocco, said the team needed to appreciate the experience while recognising the areas that require improvement.
“To be honest, my biggest lesson is just gratitude. We should be grateful,” Ajibade said.
The captain also warned that Nigeria could no longer afford to approach matches with complacency as competition among African women’s teams continues to intensify.
“We should learn not to be lax because the competition is fierce now. We must realise we’re not invincible; we just need to prepare more, get better, and demand more of ourselves individually and collectively,” she said.
Ajibade and her teammates were unable to overturn the early advantage South Africa established in the play-off, with Ucheibe’s late goal proving insufficient to keep Nigeria’s World Cup qualification hopes alive.
The defeat means the Super Falcons will miss the Women’s World Cup for the first time since the tournament was introduced in 1991.
