The Nigeria Football Federation has set up a fact-finding committee to investigate the Super Falcons’ disappointing 2026 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations campaign and their failure to qualify for the 2027 FIFA Women’s World Cup. The move follows a difficult few weeks for Nigerian football, with both the men’s and women’s national teams missing out on World Cup qualification.
The Super Falcons suffered their worst-ever WAFCON exit, marking Nigeria’s first failure to qualify for the Women’s World Cup since 1991. The team was eliminated in the quarter-finals by Cameroon, then lost 2-1 to South Africa in the subsequent playoff for a place in the Inter-Confederation Playoffs, ending Nigeria’s record of qualifying for every edition of the Women’s World Cup since the competition began in 1991.
The NFF announced the formation of the committee in a statement released on social media, with its investigation set to focus particularly on the Super Falcons’ failure to secure a place at next year’s World Cup in Brazil. The committee will be chaired by Ambassador Fanny Amun, while Ladan Bosso, Desire Oparanozie, Mutiu Adepoju and Dr Alex Mana will serve as members, with Nasiru Jibril appointed secretary.
Bosso is a former Nigeria U-20 head coach and President of the Nigeria Football Coaches Association, while Oparanozie is a former Super Falcons captain and multiple Women’s WAFCON winner. Adepoju is a former Super Eagles captain and AFCON winner, and Mana is a former FIFA referee.
The committee’s mandate extends beyond the Super Falcons, with the NFF saying it will investigate setbacks across the country’s national teams and make recommendations. Nigeria’s senior men’s team have also endured a difficult period, failing to qualify for the 2022 and 2026 FIFA World Cups.
The Flying Eagles have also endured disappointment on the continental stage, failing to qualify for the 2027 Africa U-20 Cup of Nations after a 4-1 defeat to Burkina Faso’s Young Stallions in the final of the WAFU B U-20 Championship, further underlining the scale of the review facing the federation.
The NFF said the panel’s investigation will focus on identifying the factors responsible for the country’s poor run in international competitions and providing recommendations to prevent a repeat of such failures. Nigeria will now turn attention to head coach Justine Madugu’s next steps, with pressure mounting on the technical crew following the historic setback.
