Ajibade calls for improvement after World Cup qualification failure

Super Falcons captain Rasheedat Ajibade has stated that Nigeria must learn from their recent failures in the 2026 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations and their inability to qualify for the 2027 FIFA Women’s World Cup. The captain's comments follow a 2-1 defeat to South Africa in the inter-confederation play-off held in Morocco.

This loss ended Nigeria's streak of appearing at every FIFA Women's World Cup since the inaugural tournament in 1991. The defeat in Morocco came shortly after the ten-time African champions were knocked out of the WAFCON quarter-finals by Cameroon in a 1-0 loss. This marked the first time the Super Falcons failed to reach the semi-finals of the continental competition.

In the decisive play-off, South Africa secured their victory through goals from Thembi Kgatlana and Refiloe Jane. Although Christy Ucheibe scored for Nigeria late in the match, the comeback was unsuccessful.

Ajibade, who featured in every minute of the Nigerian campaign in Morocco, noted that the squad should be grateful for the experience while addressing necessary improvements. She warned that the team can no longer be lax, noting that the intensity of competition among African women's teams is increasing.

The captain emphasized that the squad must move away from a sense of invincibility. She called for better preparation and higher standards for both individual players and the collective unit to ensure the team improves moving forward.