Former Super Falcons captains, Desire Oparanozie, Patience Avre and Kikelomo Ajayi, have warned that Nigeria can no longer survive on past glory, as the Super Falcons prepare to resume their 2028 Women’s Olympic qualifying campaign in October under a new technical crew, following the team’s historic failure to qualify for the 2027 FIFA Women’s World Cup.
Nigeria’s record of appearing at every edition of the Women’s World Cup since its 1991 launch came to an end after the Super Falcons suffered their earliest-ever exit at the 2026 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations in Morocco, losing 1-0 to Cameroon in the quarter-final.
The defeat cost them automatic qualification for the global showpiece, before a 2-1 loss to South Africa in the CAF play-off in Casablanca sealed their fate.
The Nigeria Football Federation subsequently asked the technical crew led by coach Justine Madugu to step down on Monday, alongside former Falcons goalkeeper, Ann Chiejine, goalkeeper coach, Auwal Makwalla, and Swedish duo, Igor Krulj and Per Karlsson, who served as video analyst and fitness coach respectively.
Director-General of the National Sports Commission, Bukola Olopade, has hinted that a new technical crew will be in place before the Falcons resume their Olympic qualifiers in October against Comoros, who advanced to the second round after a 30-0 aggregate victory over Sudan.
