Nigeria have won the Women’s Africa Cup of Nations 11 times
The Super Falcons have played in every FIFA Women’s World Cup since 1991
Nigeria’s best finish at the Women’s World Cup remains in the last eight

As far as continental dominance goes, the Nigeria women’s football team has few challengers. Endearingly called the Super Falcons, Nigeria have won 11 of the 14 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations since its genesis in 1991, their superiority briefly punctuated by Equatorial Guinea and South Africa.

Nigeria won the inaugural Women’s Africa Cup of Nations in 1991 with a perfect record of six wins from six. The Super Falcons did not drop a point until the tournament’s fourth iteration in 2000; they did not lose their first game until 2002. The all-conquering team, in spite of its revolving cast of members, won the first seven editions of the competition without challenge, only relinquishing their continental crown for the first time in 2008 to Equatorial Guinea.

Every alternate edition of the Women’s Africa Cup of Nations since its commencement has served as a direct pathway into the corresponding FIFA Women’s World Cup. Nigeria, by virtue of their near-omnipotent authority in the continental championship, have qualified for each edition of the international tournament since its first in 1991.

However, Nigeria’s prestige loses its sheen as it transfers from the continental Women’s Africa Cup of Nations to the international FIFA Women’s World Cup. Despite their almost-complete dominance on the African mainland, the Nigeria women’s football team is yet to leave a significant mark on the worldwide stage.

Nigeria’s first two FIFA Women’s World Cups ended in the group stage. It wasn’t until the United States of America-held 1999 edition that they leaped over the first hurdle and landed into the knockouts. Uncharted territory did not faze the Super Falcons — nor did the more formidable opposition. In spite of going three down at the hands of the Brazil women’s football team in the quarter-finals, they sensationally recovered the deficit before painfully succumbing to a golden goal in the extra time. Regardless, it remains their — and the entirety of Africa’s — greatest accomplishment in the tournament.

The Nigeria women’s football team spent much of the next two decades attempting to match the accomplishments of the 1999 version of the side, but without avail. In 2003, 2007, 2011, and 2015, due to the sheer technical distance between themselves and their opponents, Nigeria failed to climb out of the group. Over those four editions of the Women’s World Cup, the Super Falcons, disappointingly, recorded just a single win.

In 2019, twenty years after they had first reached the knockout stages of the FIFA Women’s World Cup, Nigeria equaled the feat. The tournament had expanded over the preceding 20 years, compelling FIFA to add a round-of-16 to accommodate more teams. A 3-0 reverse at the hands of Germany, however, terminated Nigeria’s latest attempt to draw level with the 1999 quarter-finalists.

Unable to escape the stagnation, Nigeria’s failings on the international stage have, perhaps, started to affect their continental dominance — as has the rapid growth of women’s teams in Africa, with the sport more competitive presently than at any point across history. Only for the second time since the inception of Women’s Africa Cup of Nations, the Super Falcons finished fourth in 2022, barely qualifying for the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup.

But challenges bring changes. Nigeria have often cruised to continental triumphs unchecked in the past. The presence of strong competition, and the threats to their supremacy would drive them to adapt, improve, and strengthen — merely to maintain their standards that have largely stayed unwavering throughout history. It is well within the realms of possibility that it leads to improved displays at the FIFA Women’s World Cup, too.