Days after Justine Madugu apologised for the Super Falcons’ campaign and said he wasn’t afraid of the sack, the NFF has made its decision on the entire technical crew.
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The Nigeria Football Federation has ordered the technical crew of the Super Falcons to step down with immediate effect, following the team’s disappointing 2026 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations campaign.
The NFF announced the decision in a brief statement on its official X account, saying its Executive Committee had asked members of the Super Falcons’ technical crew to step down with immediate effect. The federation has not yet named a replacement or announced a timeline for appointing a new coaching set-up.
A Campaign That Cost Nigeria On Two Fronts
The decision comes days after Nigeria’s WAFCON title defence in Morocco ended at the quarter-final stage following a 1-0 defeat to Cameroon, denying the Super Falcons a route to automatic World Cup qualification as a semi finalist. Nigeria had gone into the tournament as defending champions, having won the previous edition in dramatic fashion, coming from two goals down to beat hosts Morocco 3-2 in the final.
The quarter final exit forced Nigeria into the intercontinental play off route to the 2027 FIFA Women’s World Cup, where they went on to lose 2-1 to South Africa, ending their hopes of an automatic World Cup place and confirming the Super Falcons will miss the tournament for the first time since its 1991 debut.
A Federation Under Its Own Pressure
The change in the Super Falcons’ technical crew comes at a difficult moment for Nigerian football administration more broadly, with the National Sports Commission separately moving against the NFF’s planned electoral congress and reportedly considering a normalisation committee for the federation.
The Super Falcons remain Africa’s record WAFCON holders with 10 titles and had featured at every FIFA Women’s World Cup since the competition began, a streak that ends with this year’s absence. Cameroon went on to win their first ever WAFCON title, beating Malawi 3-0 in the final. The NFF now faces the task of rebuilding the technical setup of one of the country’s most successful national teams, with whoever takes over expected to face significant pressure to restore Nigeria’s standing at the top of African women’s football.
