Nigeria’s Super Falcons will no longer face Ghana’s Black Queens in their scheduled pre-WAFCON friendly. The official X page of the team confirmed the cancellation through the team’s official X page on Thursday, citing unforeseen circumstances.
The match was billed for Saturday, July 18, at the Stade El Arbi Zaouli in Casablanca. Organizers had scheduled a 4 pm kickoff, and the fixture was meant to serve as the Super Falcons’ final test before they open their WAFCON title defense against Malawi on July 28 in Rabat.
The friendly match between the Super Falcons and the Black Queens planned for Saturday, 18 July 2026 in Casablanca is off, due to unforeseen circumstances.
Head coach Justine Madugu had already put his squad through two training sessions at the same venue in preparation for the encounter. Ten of the 25 invited players had arrived in the team’s Casablanca camp by midweek, with midfielder Toni Payne, who recently completed a move from Everton Ladies to Inter Milan Women, expected to link up with the group shortly after.
Nigeria have been drawn in Group C alongside Malawi, Zambia, and Egypt. The Super Falcons open their campaign against Malawi on Tuesday, July 28, at the Al Madina Stadium in Rabat. They then take on Zambia at the same venue on Saturday, August 1, before rounding off the group stage against Egypt on Wednesday, August 5, at the Olympic Stadium in Rabat.
The cancellation extends a difficult run of pre-tournament preparations for the Super Falcons this year. Cape Verde pulled out of a two-legged friendly series in April, and a planned training tour of England collapsed in May after Jamaica withdrew from the arrangement, citing internal administrative issues.
Ghana’s Black Queens arrived at the friendly on the back of a Pink Ladies Cup triumph in Dubai, where they topped the standings unbeaten. The rivalry between both sides dates back to the inaugural Women’s Africa Cup of Nations in 1998, when Nigeria beat Ghana in the final.
Nigeria will now enter the tournament without the additional match sharpness the Ghana friendly was meant to provide. The Super Falcons remain the most successful side in WAFCON history, chasing an 11th continental title after winning it for the tenth time in 2025.
