The Ottawa Rapid midfielder hasn’t worn the green and white since WAFCON 2022. Now she’s back, and she’s got something to say about the critics who doubted her return.
The 32-year-old midfielder, now at Canadian club Ottawa Rapid, last featured for Nigeria at the 2022 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations, a gap of nearly four years. In between, she stepped away from international football to have her first child, a decision she describes not as a setback, but as a gift.
In Her Own Words
Speaking to the Super Falcons media in Yaoundé, where Nigeria are camped for two friendlies against the Indomitable Lionesses on February 28 and March 3, Okobi was honest, grateful, and completely clear-eyed about her situation.
She also addressed the criticism directly, with the kind of composure that comes from someone who’s been through something much bigger than football.
Those words say a lot about where Okobi is mentally. She didn’t come back to prove anything to anyone online. She came back because she still has the ability to contribute, and the coaching staff clearly agree.
A Career That’s Taken Her Across Continents
Born on 14 December 1993, Okobi built her reputation across Europe before her move to Canada. She spent time at Levante in Spain, one of the few Nigerian players to play in the Spanish women’s top flight, and established herself as a technically gifted, energetic midfielder with a strong engine and good vision in tight spaces.
Her Super Falcons career spans years of continental competition, and she was part of Nigeria squads that navigated multiple WAFCON campaigns. The 2022 edition in Morocco was her last appearance before stepping away for motherhood. Now she’s back in camp, competing for her place in a squad that also includes names like captain Rasheedat Ajibade, Rinsola Babajide, and Christy Ucheibe.
Why This Recall Matters
Okobi wasn’t brought back for sentiment. Nigeria’s coaching staff doesn’t do nostalgia. Her inclusion in this squad is a performance call, based on what she’s been showing at Ottawa Rapid and her technical profile as a midfielder who can control tempo, press effectively, and contribute both in and out of possession.
What makes her story compelling beyond the football is what it represents for Nigerian women in sport. She took maternity leave, returned to professional football, fought her way back to the international level, and is now preparing to potentially feature in a tournament defence at WAFCON 2026. That’s not a small thing.
Nigerian women footballers have rarely had the support structures that make post-maternity returns easy. Okobi did it the hard way: moved to Canada, joined a new club, rebuilt her fitness, and waited for her opportunity. The recall is the reward for that patience and professionalism.
📝 Editorial View
The criticism Okobi mentioned is real, and it reflects a wider problem in how Nigerian football supporters discuss women players who take time away from the game to start families. A male footballer who returns from injury after a year gets welcomed back. A female footballer who steps away to have a child gets questioned about whether she still belongs. That’s a double standard worth calling out.
Coach Madugu’s decision to call Okobi up is the right message to send. Motherhood shouldn’t end a woman’s international football career. If she’s fit, performing, and the technical staff believes she adds value, she deserves her place. Okobi clearly does. The social media noise is just that. Noise.
What’s Next for Okobi and the Super Falcons
These two friendlies against Cameroon are effectively a long audition for the WAFCON 2026 squad. Madugu and her staff will be watching every session and every minute on the pitch. For Okobi, playing time in Yaoundé could secure her a place in the final tournament squad for Morocco. Missing out would mean another long wait.
She knows that. That’s probably why she’s keeping expectations measured and focusing on taking it one step at a time. It’s not the response of someone overwhelmed. It’s the response of someone who has already been through far bigger challenges than a football match and came out the other side.
The Super Falcons are the reigning African champions. Defending that title in Morocco won’t be simple. But having experienced players who’ve been through WAFCON campaigns, players who carry composure and leadership alongside their quality, is exactly what a defending champion needs. Okobi fits that profile. Her return is one worth watching.
📌 Did You Know?
- Ngozi Okobi-Okeoghene was born on 14 December 1993, making her 32 years old. She’s one of the more experienced players in the current Super Falcons squad.
- Her last Super Falcons appearance before this recall came at the 2022 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations, nearly four years ago.
- She previously played for Levante in Spain’s top women’s football division, one of only a handful of Nigerian players to have featured in the Spanish women’s league.
- Okobi signed for Ottawa Rapid FC in Canada in January 2025, making her return to competitive football following pregnancy and childbirth.
- She was described as a “surprise inclusion” in the Super Falcons squad for the Cameroon friendlies, signalling that her club form at Ottawa Rapid caught coach Justine Madugu’s attention.
- Nigeria’s two friendlies against Cameroon are scheduled for February 28 and March 3, 2026, at the Stade Omnisport Ahmadou Ahidjo in Yaoundé, as part of the Super Falcons’ preparations for the WAFCON 2026 title defence.
- The Super Falcons won their record-extending tenth WAFCON title in July 2025, beating Morocco 3-2 in the final on Moroccan soil.
