Super Falcons miss 2027 World Cup after South Africa defeat

The Nigeria Super Falcons have missed the opportunity to qualify for the 2027 World Cup for the first time in their history. This follows a 2-1 defeat to South Africa in the World Cup play-off held in Casablanca on Thursday night.

The loss in Casablanca concludes a difficult 2026 Women's Africa Cup of Nations campaign. Before the playoff loss, Nigeria's tournament run was halted by a 1-0 quarter-final defeat to Cameroon on 9 August. This result ended the Super Falcons' pursuit of an 11th continental title.

Nigeria's struggles in the competition began during their opening title defence match in Rabat. On 28 July, the Super Falcons suffered a 3-2 loss to Malawi, who were making their WAFCON debut. This early setback set a difficult tone for the defending champions.

Following that initial loss to Malawi, the team managed to recover their form in the group stages. They secured a 1-0 victory against Zambia and followed it with a dominant 6-2 win over Egypt to ensure progression to the quarter-final stage.

Despite the high-scoring victory against Egypt, the team could not maintain that momentum in the knockout rounds. The 1-0 loss to Cameroon on 9 August removed them from contention for the trophy, and the subsequent 2-1 loss to South Africa removed them from contention for the World Cup.

The defeat to South Africa is particularly significant because it confirms that Nigeria will not participate in the 2027 World Cup. This marks a historic low for the team, as they have never missed a World Cup tournament prior to this campaign.