Ajibade calls for Super Falcons to rise after World Cup failure

Super Falcons captain Rasheedat Ajibade has described Nigeria's failure to qualify for the 2027 FIFA Women's World Cup as a wake-up call. The midfielder urged the team to use the setback as motivation to improve rather than dwelling on the disappointment.

Nigeria's hopes for the tournament in Brazil ended on Thursday following a 2-1 defeat to South Africa in a CAF play-off held in Casablanca. This loss followed a 1-0 defeat to Cameroon in the WAFCON quarter-finals, marking a difficult exit for the 10-time African champions.

The defeat ensures that Nigeria will miss a FIFA Women's World Cup for the first time since the competition began in 1991. The Super Falcons had previously appeared in every single edition of the tournament.

Ajibade noted that other African nations are improving quickly and closing the gap with Nigeria. She warned that the team can no longer rely on its historical reputation or past dominance to secure results. The Paris Saint-Germain midfielder stated that the squad must raise both individual and collective standards to compete.

The tournament campaign for the defending champions was inconsistent. Nigeria began the competition with a 1-0 loss to Malawi but later secured a narrow win against Zambia. After progressing past Zambia, they were eliminated by Cameroon in the quarter-finals before the final play-off loss to South Africa.