WAFCON 2026: Super Falcons Put Unbeaten Egypt Record On Line in Group C Decider
Defending champions Nigeria will look to seal their place in the knockout stage of the CAF Women’s Africa Cup of Nations Morocco 2026 when they face Egypt in their final Group C match at the Rabat Olympic Stadium on Wednesday night.
The encounter kicks off with the Super Falcons entering the contest on three points following a 3-2 opening defeat to Malawi and a hard-fought 1-0 victory over Zambia. Egypt, meanwhile, have lost both matches and face an enormous task if they are to keep their qualification hopes alive.
History strongly favours Nigeria. This will be only the second WAFCON meeting between the two countries, with their previous encounter coming in the group stage of the 1998 tournament when the Super Falcons recorded an emphatic 6-0 victory.
Nigeria also boast an impressive record against North African opposition at the continental championship. The nine-time champions have played nine WAFCON matches against teams from the region, winning six and drawing three in open play. Their only setback came via penalties against hosts Morocco in the 2022 semi-finals after the match ended 1-1.
The Super Falcons have kept seven clean sheets in those nine encounters, scoring 31 goals and conceding only three. They have failed to score against North African opposition on just two occasions: goalless group-stage draws against Tunisia in 2008 and Algeria at the previous edition.
Egypt arrive at the final group match after a difficult start to the tournament. They suffered a 6-0 defeat to Zambia before losing 3-1 against Malawi, leaving them without a point and with nine goals conceded from their opening two fixtures.
It is the most goals Egypt have conceded across their first two matches at a WAFCON edition, surpassing the eight they shipped at the same stage in 1998. Six of the nine goals conceded in Morocco have come after the 60th minute.
Egypt’s only victory in WAFCON history remains their 1-0 triumph over Zimbabwe in 2016, and they have now lost three consecutive matches at the finals. They have also never drawn a WAFCON match and have lost their final group fixture in each of their previous two tournament appearances without scoring, 6-0 against Nigeria in 1998 and 5-0 against South Africa in 2016.
Their qualification prospects are particularly daunting. Egypt must defeat Nigeria and hope Zambia lose to Malawi to force a three-team tie. Under the head-to-head criteria, Egypt would then require an extraordinary winning margin of at least 11 goals to advance.
Nigeria, by contrast, will be seeking to maintain their remarkable record in final group matches. The Super Falcons have never lost their last group fixture at the WAFCON, recording 12 victories and one draw. They won their final group match at 12 consecutive editions from 1998 through 2022 before being held to a goalless draw by Algeria at the last tournament.
The stakes are nevertheless high for the defending champions. Nigeria have never been eliminated in the group stage of the WAFCON, and failure to advance would also make them the first reigning champions to exit the competition before the knockout rounds.
There is historical encouragement for the Super Falcons after their opening-day setback. On the two previous occasions Nigeria lost their first match of a WAFCON campaign, in 2018 and 2022, they responded by winning their remaining two group fixtures.
Asisat Oshoala will again be one of Nigeria’s biggest attacking threats after scoring the winner against Zambia. The goal was her 15th at the WAFCON and extended her scoring record to five different editions of the continental championship.
Oshoala’s 15 tournament goals have come against eight different countries, with Zambia the only side she has scored against in two separate WAFCON matches. Nigeria have also won eight of the nine tournament games in which the striker has found the net, with the only exception being a 1-1 draw against Ghana in 2016.
Captain Rasheedat Ajibade was another influential performer against Zambia, winning all three tackles she attempted and a match-high nine duels as Nigeria secured their first clean sheet of the tournament.
