More than five African countries have been approached for Super Falcons friendly games ahead of WAFCON 2026. Every one of them said no. Coach Justine Madugu has now said publicly what Nigerian football fans have been whispering privately.
Super Falcons head coach Justine Madugu has revealed that the Nigeria Football Federation has struggled to find African opponents willing to play the national women’s team in friendly matches ahead of the 2026 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations in Morocco. Speaking to Brila FM, Madugu confirmed that the NFF has approached more than five countries for pre-tournament preparation games, and all of them declined.
WAFCON 2026 begins in July. The Super Falcons are Africa’s top-ranked women’s side and the reigning continental champions. They arrived at this situation as the team everyone else is measured against. And apparently, everyone else would rather be measured from a distance.
Madugu’s Own Words
“The fact is that most of the teams are not ready to play us. I am aware they have made a lot of efforts at trying to reach out to so many teams.”
“The federation will accept by the time they approach their coaches, they will say no, they don’t want to play the Super Falcons. I’m aware they have made approaches to more than five countries. That I know. Maybe some other reasons could be behind it, but we’re not happy about it.”
The phrase “maybe some other reasons” is the key part of that statement. Madugu did not elaborate further, but the Nigerian football community immediately understood what he was leaving unsaid. Fans following the Super Falcons’ WAFCON preparations can check the Bet9ja YOHAIG promo code ahead of the Morocco tournament in July.
The Other Reason Nobody Wants to State Plainly
No African federation organises a friendly match purely as a favour. There are hosting fees, flight costs, accommodation, and appearance fees involved in every international fixture. If the NFF is inviting African teams to play and expecting those teams to fund their own participation, the rejections are not about fear. They are about money.
This is not a new conversation in Nigerian football. The Super Eagles men’s side has played the majority of its friendlies in the last several years as invited guests at other countries’ tournaments rather than as hosts. The men’s national team played in the Unity Cup in London because the UK-based Nigerian diaspora community funded and organised it, not because the NFF built the infrastructure for it. The Super Falcons’ preparation crisis reflects the same structural problem in a women’s football context where budgets are even tighter across the continent.
What Is at Stake for WAFCON 2026
The Super Falcons enter the Morocco tournament as ten-time champions and as Africa’s highest-ranked women’s side, currently 36th in the April 2026 FIFA World Rankings. They won their most recent WAFCON title in 2025, coming from 2-0 down at half-time against host nation Morocco to win 3-2 in one of the most dramatic finals in the tournament’s history.
Defending that title at the same venue, against a host nation that came within a goal of winning it last time, requires every competitive edge available. A well-prepared squad with match sharpness built through challenging friendlies is not a luxury. It is the bare minimum standard expected of a team going into a continental tournament as defending champions and number one seeds. Finding no African opponents willing to provide that preparation is a genuine problem, and no amount of positive framing makes it otherwise. Those following the Super Falcons’ WAFCON campaign can track the latest at bet9japromotioncode.com.ng.
The Wider Picture: NFF Accountability
Madugu is in a delicate position. He works for the NFF. He cannot publicly accuse his employer of failing to fund preparation activities properly, even if that is exactly what many Nigerian football observers believe is happening. His language in the Brila FM interview was careful and measured for precisely that reason.
But the facts speak clearly enough without accusation. More than five African federations said no. The Super Falcons have WAFCON in July. The preparation window is shrinking. Something will need to be sorted before the tournament begins, whether that means looking outside Africa for opponents, finding a commercial sponsor willing to co-fund a friendly tournament, or accepting that the team arrives in Morocco without the preparation they deserve. For a squad that includes Asisat Oshoala, Chiamaka Nnadozie, Rasheedat Ajibade, Michelle Alozie, and Jennifer Echegini, the talent is clearly not the problem. The administration around it is. Supporters who want to back the Super Falcons in Morocco regardless of the preparation situation can get started with this Bet9ja sign-up bonus ahead of the tournament opener.
📌 Did You Know?
- The Super Falcons have won the Women’s Africa Cup of Nations ten times, more than any other country in the history of the competition. Their most recent title came in 2025, when they defeated host nation Morocco 3-2 in the final after coming back from 2-0 down at half-time. Nigeria’s WAFCON dominance is the most sustained record of success in the history of African women’s football at the continental level.
- Nigeria are currently ranked 36th in the April 2026 FIFA Women’s World Rankings, the highest of any African team and the 36th best women’s national side on the planet. That ranking reflects their consistent performance at WAFCON and their competitive record in international friendlies and qualifying campaigns over the past decade.
- The 2026 WAFCON in Morocco is the second consecutive edition of the tournament to be hosted by Morocco. The 2025 final between Nigeria and Morocco at the same venue produced one of the most memorable results in African women’s football history. Nigeria’s 3-2 comeback victory over the host nation, featuring a decisive goal in the 88th minute from Jennifer Echegini, is cited as one of the defining moments of Madugu’s coaching career.
- The Unity Cup, the tournament in which the Super Eagles men’s team competed in London in 2025, was organised and funded by Nnamdi Elekwachi and the UK-based Nigerian diaspora community rather than by the NFF itself. That arrangement allowed the Super Eagles to play competitive international matches against Ghana, Algeria, and the host nation England without the NFF bearing the full financial burden of organising a tournament independently.
- Justine Madugu was appointed Super Falcons head coach in 2022, succeeding Randy Waldrum whose contract was not renewed after WAFCON 2022. Madugu had previously served as assistant coach to the Super Falcons under multiple regimes and was a familiar figure within the Nigerian women’s football setup before taking the top job. His tenure has coincided with Nigeria’s most successful WAFCON period in recent memory.
- The Super Falcons’ preparation problem is not without precedent. Before WAFCON 2022 in Morocco, the team also struggled to find quality friendly opponents at short notice and arrived at the tournament with limited preparation. They were knocked out in the semi-finals. Before WAFCON 2025, better preparation contributed to a more cohesive squad performance that ultimately produced the title. The correlation between preparation quality and tournament results is well established in the Super Falcons’ recent history.
- The 2026 WAFCON will feature 16 teams, making it the largest edition of the competition in its history. The expansion from 12 to 16 teams was approved by CAF in 2024 as part of a broader effort to grow the women’s game across the continent. Nigeria qualified automatically as the reigning champions without needing to go through the qualification process, giving them the unique status of entering the tournament as both the defending champion and the continental number one seed.
