Nigeria's Super Falcons Unveil Squad for WAFCON 2026

Nigeria’s Super Falcons have drawn back the curtain on their 25-woman squad for the 2026 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations in Morocco, a group built to chase a record-extending 11th continental crown and a ticket to the 2027 FIFA Women’s World Cup.

This is not a rebuild. It is a reload.

Ajibade, Oshoala headline star-studded cast

Head coach Justine Madugu, speaking through the Nigeria Football Federation, has gone with a familiar spine laced with fresh energy. Captain Rasheedat Ajibade will carry the armband and much of the creative burden, while six-time African Women’s Player of the Year Asisat Oshoala returns as the marquee name in a fearsome attack.

Behind them, Chiamaka Nnadozie stands firm as the undisputed No. 1. The Brighton & Hove Albion goalkeeper has grown into one of the continent’s most reliable shot-stoppers, and she again anchors a goalkeeping unit that also features Comfort Erhabor of Portsmouth Ladies and Abia Angels’ Fatima Oloko.

There is, however, one notable absentee. Ashleigh Plumptre, a defensive leader in recent years, misses out as she continues her recovery from surgery. Her omission leaves a hole in experience, but also opens the door for others to step into the spotlight.

Balance across the pitch

Madugu’s list is clean and deliberate: three goalkeepers, eight defenders, five midfielders and nine forwards. It is a squad built for options, for different game states, for tournament football.

At the back, the Super Falcons lean on a blend of seasoned heads and rising names. Osinachi Ohale and Michelle Alozie bring tournament nous, while Oluwatosin Demehin, Rofiat Imuran, Shukurat Oladipo, Glory Ogbonna, Sikiratu Isah and Christy Ucheibe round out a defensive line capable of playing on the front foot or digging in when the pressure mounts.

Midfield belongs to Ajibade, at least in terms of leadership. Around her, Halimatu Ayinde offers steel and structure, Deborah Abiodun adds energy, Toni Payne brings versatility, and Jennifer Echegini supplies a modern, box-to-box presence. It is a unit that can press, pass and punch through lines.

Then comes the firepower.

Oshoala leads a forward group that looks built to overwhelm opponents. Folashade Ijamilusi, Esther Okoronkwo, Chinwendu Ihezuo, Francisca Ordega, Gift Monday, Uchenna Kanu, Omorinsola Babajide and Joy Omewa give Madugu pace, width, aerial threat and goals from almost every angle.

Many of these players arrive from Europe’s top leagues, others from North America, Asia and the Nigerian Women’s Football League. The mix is intentional: global experience fused with homegrown hunger.

Group C: Familiar foes, new stakes

Nigeria travel to Morocco as the most decorated side in African women’s football, 10-time champions and defending title holders after their 3-2 win over hosts Morocco in the last edition’s final. That history, though, guarantees nothing in Group C.

The Super Falcons share the group with Zambia, Egypt and Malawi, all chasing a place in the knockout rounds and, by extension, a path to the World Cup.

The campaign opens against debutants Malawi on Tuesday, July 28, at Al Madina Stadium in Rabat. It will be the first senior competitive clash between the two nations, a meeting of pedigree against ambition. For Nigeria, anything less than a statement performance will feel underwhelming.

Then comes the grudge match.

On Saturday, August 1, at the same venue, Nigeria face Zambia. The Copper Queens have become one of the continent’s most dangerous sides, and while the Super Falcons hold two wins from their three previous meetings, the last one still stings: Zambia’s 1-0 victory in the third-place playoff at WAFCON 2022. That result has turned this fixture into one of the group’s headline games.

Nigeria wrap up the group phase against Egypt on Wednesday, August 5, at the Rabat Region Stadium. The Falcons crushed Egypt 6-0 in their only prior WAFCON meeting back in 1998, at the inaugural African Women’s Championship. The context now is different. Egypt’s women’s programme has grown, and they arrive as a more organised, competitive side than the scoreline from 26 years ago would suggest.

More than a title on the line

WAFCON 2026 is not just about continental bragging rights. It doubles as Africa’s qualification route to the 2027 FIFA Women’s World Cup in Brazil. Reach the semi-finals, and a ticket to the global stage is secured.

For a team built on history and expectation, the margins are thin. Nigeria know what is at stake: defend their crown, punch their ticket to Brazil, and prove that the Super Falcons still set the standard in African women’s football.

Confirmed Super Falcons squad for WAFCON 2026

• Goalkeepers: Chiamaka Nnadozie, Erhabor Comfort, Oloko Fatima.
• Defenders: Osinachi Ohale, Oluwatosin Demehin, Michelle Alozie, Rofiat Imuran, Shukurat Oladapo, Glory Ogbonna, Sikiratu Isah.
• Midfielders: Deborah Abiodun, Christy Ucheibe, Halimatu Ayinde, Rasheedat Ajibade, Jennifer Echegini, Toni Payne.

The names are set. The stage is Morocco. Now the question is simple: can this generation push Nigeria’s dominance into a new decade?