Super Falcons Target Quarter-Final Ticket Against Egypt at WAFCON 2026
Defending champions Nigeria will be aiming to keep their Women’s Africa Cup of Nations title defence alive when they face Egypt in their final Group C match on Wednesday, knowing victory could be enough to secure a place in the quarter-finals.
The Super Falcons revived their campaign with a hard-fought 1-0 victory over Zambia after suffering a 3-2 defeat to tournament debutants Malawi in their opening match.
The result put Justin Madugu’s side back in contention, but qualification remains dependent on the outcome of the other Group C fixture between Malawi and Zambia.
Should Malawi avoid defeat against Zambia, a Nigerian victory over Egypt would guarantee the nine-time African champions a place in the last eight.
However, if Zambia defeat Malawi and Nigeria also overcome Egypt, all three teams would finish on six points, with the two quarter-final places decided by CAF’s head-to-head tiebreak regulations.
Under the competition rules, the standings would first be determined by points, goal difference and goals scored in the mini-league involving only Nigeria, Malawi and Zambia before overall goal difference is considered.
This means the margin of Nigeria’s victory over Egypt would not immediately influence qualification unless the head-to-head criteria fail to separate the three teams.
Despite Egypt’s difficult start to the tournament, which saw them lose 6-0 to Zambia before falling 3-1 to Malawi, the Super Falcons are expected to approach the encounter with caution, aware that tournament football often defies expectations.
Nigeria will be without two key players for the decisive fixture. Defender Tosin Demehin is suspended after being sent off against Zambia for denying Barbra Banda a clear goalscoring opportunity, while midfielder Jennifer Echegini is also unavailable after accumulating two yellow cards in the opening two matches.
Head coach Justin Madugu is expected to reshuffle his side, with Christy Ucheibe likely to continue in central defence alongside veteran Osinachi Ohale after impressing following Demehin’s dismissal.
Toni Payne is expected to feature in midfield alongside captain Rasheedat Ajibade, while Halimatu Ayinde is also pushing for a starting berth.
In attack, Madugu could again pair Uchenna Kanu with Asisat Oshoala. Kanu scored off the bench against Malawi, while Oshoala netted the winner against Zambia to revive Nigeria’s campaign.
Group C
Team MP W D L GF GA GD Pts
Malawi 2 2 0 0 6 3 +3 6
Nigeria 2 1 0 1 3 3 0 3
Zambia 2 1 0 1 6 1 +5 3
Egypt 2 0 0 2 1 9 −8 0
