Super Falcons captain Rasheedat Ajibade has publicly criticised the NFF’s approach to WAFCON preparations, warning that Nigeria cannot keep winning on talent alone while the federation continues to fall short on organisation.
Nigeria’s WAFCON 2026 preparations are under scrutiny again, and this time it’s the Super Falcons captain herself making noise. Rasheedat Ajibade has blasted the Nigeria Football Federation’s management of the team’s build-up programme, pointing to a recurring pattern of late cancellations, missed windows and inadequate planning that has characterised the federation’s approach to the women’s game for years.
The Paris Saint-Germain forward’s frustration has reached a boiling point ahead of the continental tournament, now rescheduled to run from July 25 to August 16 in Morocco after CAF cited unforeseen circumstances in pushing the event back from its original March window. For Ajibade, the postponement was not a blessing in disguise. It added months of uncertainty to a preparation cycle that was already patchy.
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A Captain Who Won’t Stay Silent
Ajibade has a history of calling out the NFF when she believes the women’s team is being shortchanged. In November 2025, during a crucial FIFA international window, she joined teammates Ashleigh Plumptre and Rinsola Babajide in publicly expressing frustration after the federation failed to arrange a single friendly match during what should have been a key preparation week. The Super Falcons were the only top African women’s team that went through that window without a competitive fixture.
The captain’s position is consistent and principled. Nigeria cannot keep relying on natural talent and competitive spirit to compensate for poor preparation. She has pointed out that rival nations, including South Africa and Morocco, are investing more deliberately in their women’s programmes, and that gap in resources and planning will eventually show on the pitch if left unchecked.
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What the Numbers Say
The Super Falcons have played just two friendlies in 2026, both against Cameroon in February. Nigeria won the second game 3-1 after losing the opener 1-0, giving Madugu’s staff some useful data but far fewer competitive minutes than the coaching staff would have wanted. The planned Cape Verde double-header this April, now cancelled after the Blue Sharks’ withdrawal, would have been only their third and fourth matches of the year before July’s tournament begins.
Compare that to South Africa’s Banyana Banyana, who have played regularly throughout the build-up cycle, or Morocco, who host the tournament and have had the benefit of full-squad assemblies at home. The preparation gap is real, and Ajibade knows it better than anyone. Jennifer Echegini, another PSG teammate who also features for Nigeria, struck a similar note earlier this year, warning that competing against well-resourced nations while underprepared starts the Falcons at a disadvantage that talent can only close so far.
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📌 Did You Know?
- Rasheedat Ajibade was nominated for the Ballon d’Or after helping Nigeria win the WAFCON 2024 title, making her one of the few African women’s footballers to receive the recognition in recent years.
- Jennifer Echegini, who has also voiced concerns about NFF preparations, was born in Nijmegen in the Netherlands and played college football in the United States before committing her international career to Nigeria.
- The Super Falcons went through the entire November-December 2025 FIFA international window without playing a single friendly match, the only top African women’s team with that distinction during that period.
- Nigeria’s women’s team has won the Women’s Africa Cup of Nations more times than any other country, including a run of six consecutive titles from 1998 to 2010.
- WAFCON 2026 doubles as Africa’s qualifying tournament for the 2027 FIFA Women’s World Cup in Brazil, meaning the four semi-finalists earn direct slots and two more teams go through intercontinental play-offs.
- Former Super Falcons head coach Randy Waldrum alleged that FIFA provided Nigeria with $960,000 for the 2023 Women’s World Cup preparations, but claimed the funds were not used adequately for proper camping and build-up matches.
- Ashleigh Plumptre, one of the players who publicly backed Ajibade’s frustration over the lack of friendlies, plays her club football in Saudi Arabia for Ittihad Ladies FC, making her one of a small number of Nigerian women’s internationals plying their trade in the Middle East.
