Super Falcons face risk of missing prep as NFF scrambles to organise friendlies ahead of 2025 WAFCON title defence in Morocco.
Lagos, Nigeria, 24 November 2025 — As the final women’s international window of 2025 opens on Monday, 10-time African champions the Super Falcons face uncertainty over preparation, with the Nigeria Football Federation still making urgent efforts to organise friendly matches, The PUNCH reports.
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The break, running from 24 November to 2 December, allows countries to play at least two matches, but Nigeria has yet to confirm any fixtures.
While nations such as Ghana, Zambia, Kenya, and South Africa have lined up friendlies—Ghana is set to face England on 2 December—the Super Falcons’ plans remain unsettled.
When asked about the team’s schedule, NFF President disclosed, “We are checking,” as a proposed friendly was reportedly cancelled after the opposing team’s head coach opted to face what he considered a lesser opponent.
The Falcons, who will defend their WAFCON title in Morocco next year, secured qualification with a 3-1 aggregate win over Benin Republic in October.
The 2026 WAFCON, still without an official date, is expected to double as a qualifier for the 2027 FIFA Women’s World Cup in Brazil.
If the March 2026 tournament does not hold, it would become the next opportunity for the Falcons to regroup.
Aside from an unbeaten WAFCON run in July, the team has played only three other matches in 2025.
Despite limited activity, the Super Falcons remain Africa’s top-ranked team and 36th in the world, with the next FIFA ranking set for 11 December.
NFF President Gusau, speaking at the end of 2024, emphasised a new era of preparation for Nigerian teams.
“The era of Nigerian teams arriving at major championships just to participate is gone.
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Our objective now is to ensure that our teams can strongly contend for honours anywhere, and that can only be done by preparing the teams well ahead of qualifiers and competitions,” he said.
Peculiar Adirika is a journalist and contributor to Freelanews.com, covering news, business, and public affairs.
