The Everton midfielder, the only Nigerian currently playing in the Women’s Super League, scored her first Super Falcons goal since 2021 as Nigeria warmed up for a WAFCON campaign that carries a direct path to the 2027 Women’s World Cup in Brazil.
Toni Payne has broken a goal drought that stretched back almost five years for the Super Falcons, netting in the 2-1 friendly win over Senegal in Ikenne on Friday and speaking openly about how much the moment meant to her, FootballInNigeria.com.ng reports. “I’m happy to score after almost five years so just really good to do it here in Nigeria,” the Everton midfielder told reporters in the post match press conference, reflecting on a goal that ended a personal international drought stretching back to 2021.
The goal itself was the kind that matters in a pressured situation. Asisat Oshoala had converted a penalty to give Nigeria the lead shortly after the hour mark, and Payne doubled the advantage four minutes before half time with a composed close-range finish from inside the box after Senegal failed to deal with a corner. Nigeria went in at the break 2-0 ahead. Senegal pulled one back with three minutes to play, but Justine Madugu’s side held on for the win. Super Falcons fans backing Nigeria at WAFCON 2026 can claim the Bet9ja YOHAIG welcome bonus when tournament betting markets open ahead of the July 26 kick-off in Morocco.
The WAFCON Prize and Why It Matters More Than Usual
Friday’s game was the first of two warmup matches against Senegal before Nigeria fly to Morocco for the 2026 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations, which begins on July 26. The second friendly takes place on Monday at the same venue in Ikenne, giving Madugu one more opportunity to assess his squad’s depth and fitness before the tournament starts. Nigeria are placed in Group C alongside Egypt, Zambia, and Malawi a draw that positions them as clear favourites to progress to the knockout stages.
What makes this WAFCON campaign significantly more loaded than usual is that the tournament simultaneously serves as Africa’s qualifying competition for the 2027 FIFA Women’s World Cup in Brazil. The top four sides from the continental championship will earn direct spots at the World Cup. A further two teams will advance to the inter confederation play offs for additional places. For Nigeria, a team that has qualified for every Women’s World Cup since 1991, maintaining that record demands not just progression at WAFCON but a finish in the top four of a tournament that will include Morocco, Senegal, South Africa, Cameroon, and the other strongest sides on the continent. Super Falcons supporters who want to track Nigeria’s progress through both WAFCON and the World Cup qualifying road can find all fixture odds on FootballInNigeria’s Bet9ja promo code page.
What Payne’s Goal Means for Her and for the Team
Beyond the result and the broader context, Friday’s goal carries real personal significance for Payne. She has been a regular fixture in the Super Falcons squad since making her debut in February 2021, contributing assists and creative play through the 2023 Women’s World Cup in Australia where Nigeria reached the round of 16 before losing to England on penalties and into the current WAFCON cycle. But goals had eluded her at international level. The last time she found the net for Nigeria was in 2021, and the drought had stretched across multiple tournaments and more than 30 caps without a finish to show for her involvement.
That changes now. The significance of ending that run in Nigeria, in front of a home crowd in Ikenne, was evident in how she spoke about it after the final whistle. For the 31 year old, who is also the only Nigerian player currently competing in the Barclays Women’s Super League after joining Everton from Sevilla last summer, the goal carries both personal relief and a confidence boost at exactly the right moment ahead of a tournament Nigeria are expected to win. Both sides meet again on Monday for the second friendly before WAFCON preparations shift to Morocco. For the Super Falcons, every session at the Remo Stars Sports Complex in Ikenne is another opportunity to get sharper. For Payne, Friday was a reminder of what she can add when the ball falls her way. Readers following the Super Falcons’ WAFCON journey can track the latest squad news and betting odds at today’s Bet9ja promo code page.
📌 Did You Know?
- The 2026 WAFCON in Morocco doubles as Africa’s qualifying competition for the 2027 FIFA Women’s World Cup, which will be held in Brazil. The top four teams at WAFCON earn direct World Cup berths, with two additional sides advancing to the inter confederation play offs making WAFCON 2026 the most consequential edition of the tournament in its history.
- Nigeria have qualified for every edition of the FIFA Women’s World Cup since the inaugural tournament in 1991. Maintaining that record requires a top-four finish at WAFCON 2026 in Morocco a pressure that hangs over every match in the tournament, regardless of the opponent.
- Toni Payne’s goal on Friday was her first for the Super Falcons since 2021, a drought of nearly five years across more than 30 international appearances. Despite being a regular in the squad throughout that period, including all three matches at the 2023 Women’s World Cup, she had not scored at senior international level in that entire stretch.
- Nigeria’s WAFCON 2026 group contains Egypt, Zambia, and Malawi. Egypt are historically Nigeria’s most competitive group-stage opponent in women’s football on the continent, while Zambia and Malawi have never won the WAFCON title and have significantly lower world rankings than the Super Falcons.
- Everton’s Toni Payne is the only Nigerian player currently competing in the Barclays Women’s Super League. She joined the club in the summer of 2025 after six years at Sevilla, where she made 177 appearances and scored 30 goals. Her move to the WSL represented a clear step up in the level of week-to-week competition she faces.
- Comfort Erhabor, the Portsmouth goalkeeper who made her senior Super Falcons debut in Friday’s win over Senegal, conceded only in the dying minutes of the match after an otherwise composed debut. Her performance gave Justine Madugu useful information about her readiness to compete for the starting position at WAFCON.
- The Remo Stars Sports Complex in Ikenne, where both the Friday and Monday friendlies against Senegal are being played, has a capacity of approximately 5,000 and is primarily known as the home ground of NPFL club Remo Stars. Its use as a Super Falcons venue reflects a broader NFF policy of decentralising national team matches beyond Lagos and Abuja to connect with supporters across the country.
