Nigeria Football Federation President Ibrahim Gusau and NFF Technical Director Augustine Eguavoen have entrusted Eguavoen with leading Nigeria’s Senior Women’s National Team, the Super Falcons, against Comoros in the 2028 Olympic Games qualifiers, with both matches scheduled for Ikenne-Remo in October.
The appointment gives the former Super Eagles head coach a temporary return to the dugout at senior international level, while the NFF continues its search for a substantive coach for the 10-time African champions.
Also read: FIFA delays NFF decision, plans Nigeria visit
Eguavoen, widely known as “Cerezo”, arrives with considerable international experience.
He led the Super Eagles to a bronze-medal finish at the 2006 Africa Cup of Nations in Egypt and has held several coaching and technical roles within Nigerian football.
The assignment also represents a fresh chapter for Eguavoen, who has previously worked extensively with Nigeria’s men’s national teams but has not been appointed permanent head coach of the Super Falcons.
Eguavoen will be assisted by Christopher Danjuma, the current head coach of Nigeria Women’s Football League side Nasarawa Amazons.
Danjuma has extensive experience within Nigeria’s women’s national-team structure and led the Falconets at the 2024 FIFA Under-20 Women’s World Cup in Costa Rica.
Former Super Eagles goalkeeper trainer Olatunji Baruwa will join the technical team as goalkeeper trainer.
Baruwa has previously worked with several Nigerian national sides, including the Super Eagles, CHAN Eagles, Flying Eagles and Golden Eaglets.
Former Super Falcons defender Ayisat Yusuf will also serve as an assistant coach.
Yusuf won 68 international caps for Nigeria and represented the country at four Women’s Africa Cup of Nations tournaments, three FIFA Women’s World Cups and the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing.
The NFF described Eguavoen’s role as interim, making the October fixtures an immediate test rather than a confirmation of a long-term appointment.
The change comes after Justin Madugu and his technical crew were ordered to step down on August 17 following Nigeria’s failure to qualify for the 2027 FIFA Women’s World Cup.
The failure ended the Super Falcons’ record of appearing at every edition of the women’s World Cup since the competition began in 1991.
Attention now turns quickly towards the Olympic qualifying campaign.
Nigeria will face Comoros in the second round, with both legs scheduled for the Remo Stars Stadium in Ikenne-Remo on October 9 and October 13, 2026.
The Super Falcons entered the second round automatically as one of the three highest-ranked teams in the qualifying competition.
Comoros, meanwhile, advanced after a remarkable 30-0 aggregate victory over Sudan, winning the two matches 17-0 and 13-0.
The scale of Nigeria’s task extends well beyond the opening tie. The Super Falcons must negotiate four two-legged knockout rounds to secure one of Africa’s two available places at the women’s football tournament at the Los Angeles 2028 Olympics.
Victory over Comoros would send Nigeria into the third round, where either the Democratic Republic of Congo or Morocco would await between February 23 and March 6, 2027.
A successful run through that stage would lead to another demanding tie in October 2027 against one of Tunisia, Senegal, Benin Republic or Mali. The final qualifying round is scheduled for November 23 to December 4, 2027.
The possible final-round opponents include Guinea, Cameroon, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Côte d’Ivoire, Central African Republic, Algeria and Burkina Faso, underlining the difficult route to Los Angeles.
For Nigeria, the immediate objective is nevertheless straightforward: overcome Comoros and restore momentum after a disappointing World Cup qualifying setback.
The Super Falcons returned to Olympic football at Paris 2024 after a 16-year absence.
The Olympic campaign now offers Eguavoen and his interim coaching team an opportunity to begin rebuilding confidence around a side that remains one of Africa’s most decorated women’s national teams.
The NFF’s decision to pair Eguavoen with experienced figures from the women’s game suggests an emphasis on continuity and familiarity as Nigeria prepares for two crucial October fixtures.
For Eguavoen, the challenge is particularly significant. His temporary mandate may last only for the Comoros tie, but success could provide the Super Falcons with valuable stability while the federation weighs its options for a permanent appointment.
Also read: FIFA delays NFF decision, plans Nigeria visit
The first test will come at Ikenne-Remo on October 9, when Eguavoen’s Super Falcons Olympic qualifiers campaign begins in earnest.
David Okere is a journalist and contributor to Freelanews.com, covering business, governance, public affairs, and human-interest stories with a commitment to accuracy, balance, and public interest reporting.
