The Executive Committee of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) has directed the Head Coach of the Super Falcons, Justin Madugu, and the entire technical crew of the Nigeria senior women’s national team to step down from their respective positions with immediate effect.
The decision comes in the aftermath of Nigeria’s disappointing campaign at the recently concluded Women’s Africa Cup of Nations (WAFCON), where the Super Falcons suffered a quarter-final elimination and subsequently missed out on both automatic qualification and the international playoffs for the 2027 FIFA Women’s World Cup in Brazil.
The Super Falcons entered the tournament with high expectations as defending African champions and one of the continent’s most successful women’s football teams. However, their campaign ended earlier than anticipated following a 1–0 defeat to Cameroon in the quarter-finals likewise the playoff against South Africa which ended 2-1 in favour of South Africa.
Despite creating several opportunities during the encounter, Nigeria were unable to find the back of the net, bringing their title defence to an abrupt end.
The quarter-final defeat also had significant consequences beyond the continental competition, as Nigeria lost the opportunity to secure one of Africa’s automatic qualification places for the 2027 FIFA Women’s World Cup.
This came into actions after a major setback for the Super Falcons, who have traditionally been a dominant force in African women’s football and have maintained an impressive record of participation at the FIFA Women’s World Cup.
The NFF has now directed Madugu and his technical crew to step down, the federation is expected to begin the process of determining a new technical direction for the Super Falcons as the team continues its preparations for the crucial road ahead.
The decision now signals a significant change in the management of the national team, with the federation likely to focus on rebuilding the squad and strengthening the technical structure ahead of the Olympics qualifier.
While the NFF faces the task of finding a technical leadership capable of restoring confidence and returning the team to the top of African women’s football.
The coming weeks are therefore expected to be crucial for the Super Falcons as the NFF works on the next steps following a WAFCON campaign that ended in disappointment for the defending champions.
