Falcons miss another window as WAFCON draws closer

Nigeria’s Super Falcons are missing the chance to regroup just four months before the 2024 Women Africa Cup of Nations tournament as the second international break for women’s football in 2025 started on Monday, March 31, and runs until Tuesday, April 8, PUNCH Sports Extra reports.

The last time the 11-time African champions were kept busy during the international break was in November 2024 when they lost 2-1 to France in a high-profile friendly.

Before then, they hosted Algeria in a two-legged friendly game played in Lagos and Ikenne in October 2024.

Since then, the draw for the postponed 2024 WAFCON has been conducted. The Falcons will play Tunisia, Algeria, and Botswana in Group B of the tournament, which will be played from July 5 to 26 in Morocco.

If the draw, which was held in November 2024 – eight months before the tournament – was supposed to do anything at all, it ought to be used as a blueprint for the team’s preparations, but there have been no explanations from the Nigeria Football Federation as the team continues to waste the second international break of 2025.

NFF president, Ibrahim Gusau, in an end-of-the-year review had promised adequate preparations for the team, as they hope to reclaim the African title which they last won in 2018.

“We are in the process of organising more friendly games for the team, to properly blend the old and new players to a formidable squad that will conquer Africa in style,” Gusau said in December 2024.

“The era of Nigerian teams arriving at major championships just to participate is gone. Our objective now is to ensure that our teams can strongly contend for honours anywhere and that can only be done by preparing the teams well ahead of qualifiers and competitions.”

Ironically, the Super Falcons are still ranked number one in Africa and 36th in the world but the reality of their inactivity may start to hit harder by the time the tournament begins in July, as fans have also expressed their concerns.

Football enthusiast and analyst, Ifeoluwa Leo-Olagbaye, is leading the voices against the current setup of the team and their inactivity.

“The female team of Ivory Coast will host Kenya in a two-match Friendly on April 4 and 8. The two countries are preparing ahead to ensure they stage a comeback to WAFCON 2026 with Ivory Coast eyeing a return since 2014 and Kenya are looking at a second appearance since 2016. These are serious countries preparing ahead of 2026.

“Super Falcons who have qualified for WAFCON 2025 with three months to go have wasted two international windows.

“You will all be forced out of your slumber, we will give you no rest till you do your jobs,” she wrote via Facebook.

“We are waiting for the NFF to come out with their excuses as usual. They should remember that other countries are quickly catching up with Nigeria in female football in Africa. Any below-par performance of Super Falcons is not welcomed,” another fan, Omisore Moses said.

Jimoh Okene also noted that the same fate befell the Golden Eaglets who have now missed two consecutive FIFA U-17 World Cups.

“This same negligence cost our U-17 a place in the ongoing U-17 AFCON. While other countries are making significant progress in their football, Nigerian football has significantly regressed under Gusau.”

Meanwhile, the quality of players in the Super Falcons is enviable.

However, these stars also recognise the essence of preparations, as much as they are hungry to reclaim the African title which they have won 11 times.

In reality, only a few of the 2018 squad are left in the current setup.

Bay FC forward, Asisat Oshoala and new Washington Spirits signing, Gift Monday, in separate interviews have stressed the importance of keeping up their game.

“The year 2025 is going to be better. The mentality is different now, everyone wants to win, and the players are fighting for shirts because there is no automatic spot. We have had back-to-back top games and we just have to keep that up and the WAFCON will be a good outing for us,” Oshoala said in January during an X Space.

“The players are ready because we talk all the time. But it’s not about the mind alone; it’s about preparation. For me, with the right preparation and every other thing, we will be good to go to reclaim our crown,” Monday also said in an exclusive interview with PUNCH Sports Extra.

After their last WAFCON title in 2018, the Super Falcons under coach Randy Waldrum finished fourth at the 2022 edition in Morocco – with a defeat to South Africa in the group stages and the the third-place loss against Zambia being reality checks on the team’s supposed dominance in Africa.

The next international break for women will be from May 26 to June 3, one month to the next tournament.