Super Falcons Set for Coaching Shake-up Ahead of Olympic Qualifiers

Nigeria's Super Falcons are slated to welcome a fresh technical team before their 2028 Women’s Olympic qualifying matches kick off in October. This development was disclosed by Bukola Olopade, the Director-General of the National Sports Commission. The decision follows the Nigeria Football Federation’s directive for the previous technical crew, headed by coach Justine Madugu, to vacate their roles. This move by the NFF comes on the heels of the team's less-than-stellar performance during the 2026 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations hosted in Morocco. With the Olympic qualifiers drawing near, the NFF now faces the pressing challenge of installing a new coaching staff for the ten-time African champions.

The Super Falcons experienced a challenging outing at the WAFCON tournament in Morocco. Their journey commenced with a surprising 3-2 loss to tournament newcomers Malawi in their Group C fixture. The team's run concluded in the quarter-finals, where they were defeated 1-0 by Cameroon on August 8, 2026. This marked an unprecedented exit for Nigeria at the quarter-final stage of the continental competition. Consequently, this defeat denied the female national team direct qualification for the 2027 Women’s World Cup scheduled to hold in Brazil. Although Nigeria later had a chance to secure a World Cup spot via the African qualification play-off, they ultimately fell short, losing 2-1 to South Africa in that crucial encounter.