- WAFCON 2026: Super Falcons Begin Title Defence Against Malawi
- Super Falcons coach Justin Madugu and captain Rasheedat Ajibade target victory.
- Nigeria will later face Zambia and Egypt in Group C.
Nigeria will begin the defence of their Women’s Africa Cup of Nations (WAFCON) title against Malawi on Tuesday, July 28, with head coach Justin Madugu and captain Rasheedat Ajibade insisting that the Super Falcons are focused on starting their campaign with a victory.
The 10 time African champions will face tournament debutants Malawi in their Group C opener at the Al Madina Stadium in Rabat, Morocco, as they target a record extending 11th continental title.
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EKO HOT BLOG reports that speaking at the pre match press conference, Madugu said the team’s ultimate objective was to win the tournament, while stressing the importance of taking each match as it comes.
“Usually when you prepare for a competition, and you go for any tournament, your ultimate goal is to win. You approach every game as it comes and try as much as possible to make sure that you win all your games. For every match that we go into, the ultimate goal is to ensure that we win,” Madugu said.
The Super Falcons head into the tournament in impressive form, having won eight of their last nine matches in all competitions.
Their preparations ended with a 2 1 victory over Tanzania, with Ajibade opening the scoring before Esther Okoronkwo scored the winning goal late in the second half.
Nigeria won the previous edition of the competition after recovering from a goal down to defeat hosts Morocco 3 2 in a thrilling final.
Malawi, meanwhile, will be making their debut at the WAFCON after losing five of their last six matches.
The Scorchers ended their preparations with a 4 0 defeat to Ghana and failed to score in four of their last six matches.
However, Malawi demonstrated their potential during the qualification campaign, holding Zambia to a draw and defeating Angola to secure their place in the tournament.
Nigeria are expected to be without defender Ashleigh Plumptre due to injury. However, Madugu still has a strong squad at his disposal, with Ajibade and Okoronkwo expected to lead the attack.
For Malawi, sisters Tabitha and Temwa Chawinga are expected to pose the biggest threat to the Super Falcons.
The build up to the tournament was briefly overshadowed after Okoronkwo claimed on social media that $700 had been stolen from her wallet at the team’s Marriott Hotel base in Casablanca, with several teammates reportedly affected.
Her comments subsequently attracted racist abuse on Instagram, including monkey emojis and other offensive messages.
However, the forward insisted that the incident would not distract the team from its objective.
“Hate cannot drive out hate. Only love can do that. We move forward with pride, unity and determination. See you on the pitch,” Okoronkwo posted.
Ajibade also expressed confidence in the team’s readiness ahead of the opening match.
“The team’s spirit is high. Everyone is fully focused. We know why we’re here and we are ready to take things one step at a time. So we’re 100 per cent ready,” she said.
Although Nigeria are regarded as favourites, the captain said the Super Falcons would approach Malawi with respect and would not underestimate their opponents.
“We’re approaching every team with a sense of humility and respect. Seeing Malawi qualify for WAFCON for the first time shows the progress they are making and the intentional investment in women’s football. Some of their players are competing in the top five leagues, which shows the future of women’s football in Africa is very bright,” she said.
Ajibade also stressed that securing three points was more important than the manner in which the team performed.
“A good performance for the Super Falcons is to win three points because that’s what matters in this tournament. You can talk about how you play, the tactics and everything else, but if you do all that and don’t win, I don’t think it counts for anything,” she said.
The captain also appealed to Nigerian supporters to continue backing the team throughout the competition.
“We see their support, we see their love and how much they want us to win. Their support has always been instrumental to our success. We want them to replicate that energy and even double it because we need it to keep raising the standard and keep flying the flag of our nation high. We will do everything possible to make them proud.”
Following Tuesday’s opening fixture, Nigeria will continue their Group C campaign against Zambia and Egypt.
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