WAFCON 2025: How far can Super Falcons fly in Morocco?

Jul 5, 2025 - 12:35
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WAFCON 2025: How far can Super Falcons fly in Morocco?

The remarkable-anticipated Females’s African Cup of Countries, slated for Morocco, begins nowadays, and the fever is already on. The biennial tournaments catch underway across Morocco on Saturday, with opposing groups hoping to quit Nigeria’s fairy-fable speed in the tournament. David Meshioye previews Super Falcons’ probabilities after months of hype, pomp and circumstance.

The Super Falcon goes into this year’s tournament with an intimidating epic as the most efficient personnel to occupy won the trophy 9 times from 11 appearances, with two runners-up medals in 2012 and 2022. This outstanding success on African soil is sufficient to send apprehension down the spines of any opponents. Little surprise why the opposing personnel looks at the Nigerian ladies with a shrimp label of envy and appreciate. Loaded to the hilt with avid gamers armed to the enamel with years of expertise and tremendous clout on the world stage, the Nigerian facet is rated as probably champions at every Females’s African Cup of Countries.

Loads could well well additionally occupy changed since the departure of coach Randy Waldrum, however the avid gamers’ insatiable starvation for more glory has persisted to plot Nigeria as the personnel to beat in Africa. The 24-lady personnel looked balanced on paper, coupled with the truth that the ladies had been collectively for nearly six years. A staunch follower of female football in Nigeria can without grief hand-snatch the personnel with eyes huge shut. However the omission of Reward Monday, who has been in top originate with Washington Spirit in the Nationwide Females’s Soccer League, despatched tongues wagging. Reward has told Nigerians to rally in the support of the ladies in her absence since she bears no grudges against the backroom team. With hopes and aspirations of Nigerians divided, given the pedigree of the newly-looked teaching team headed by stoned-faced gaffer, Justine Madugu, the Super Falcons would must raise their wealth of expertise and person brilliance into play if they're to ward off threats from their two major arch-rival, South Africa and Morocco.

Chiamaka Nnadozie in training.
Chiamaka Nnadozie in training. Listing: AFP

Wealth Of Skills
While this year’s tournament is loaded with rising African females’s football nationwide groups from South Africa, Morocco, and Zambia, it's complicated to argue against the frequent belief that the Super Falcons’ wealth of expertise will yet again be build aside to the take a look at. Nigeria could well well additionally be the dreaded facet every solid personnel needs to connect up a ways from, however there might perchance be no gainsaying that assorted African nations need to no longer any longer doing the preserve-up however closing the gap. With the baton of management passed on to Rashidat Ajibade, the presence of Africa’s most embellished female participant, Asisat Oshoala and the return of midfield generalissimo, Halimatu Ayinde will likely be key to Nigeria’s success in the competition.

The presence of Africa’s easiest females’s goalkeeper, Chiamaka Nnadozie, between the sticks is a most modern abet in times of wretchedness. Her recent switch from PSG to Brighton and Wolverhampton is coming at no higher time than this, and with her novel employers utter to investigate cross-test from the stands, Nnadozie will likely be out to level to to all why she is the continent’s easiest goalkeeper.

The duo of Pachuca Membership de Futbol, Mexico defender Osinachi Ohale and Galatasaray’s Oluwatosin Demehin will likely be a handful for opposing strikers, and their wealth of expertise will likely be to hand as Nigeria chases a contemporary coronation in Morocco. The return of Ashley Plumptre after a protracted spell with injury is a big boost for the glory-chasing Nigerian ladies, too. The presence of Plumptre will abet aloof the rearguard accurate by stress, while followers’ accepted, Michelle Alozie of Houston Tear, will yet again indicate why she is truly appropriate as the defender with seven lungs.

New wine in an feeble wineskin
The Nigerian facet is a combination of formative years and expertise. The emergence of Dallas Trinity midfield accepted, Deborah Abiodun and PSG Jennifer Echegini portend energy and creativity. The duo will revel in huge give a boost to from experienced midfielders cherish skipper Rashidat Ayinde and Everton Ladies midfielder Tony Payne. The return of Asisat Oshoala, otherwise is known as Agba Baller, and Francisca Ordega provides the Super Falcons with two strikers who can bully defenders. The prone Barcelona giant name will likely be making her sixth appearance in the Countries Cup, gunning for her fourth title in a tournament which looks to be her closing.
Also, with coach Madugu bent on amplifying his stance to give home-basically based mostly avid gamers the remarkable-important exposure, home ladies cherish Miracle Usani, Sikiratu Isah, and goalkeeper Rachael Unachukwu will likely be out to clarify their spots in the giant name-studded personnel.

Jennifer ECHEGINI of Nigeria accurate by the womens generous match between France and Nigeria at Stade Raymond Kopa on November 30, 2024 in Angers, France.

The Opposition
Grouped alongside Tunisia, Algeria, and Botswana, the Super Falcons had been tipped to revel in a stroll-in-the-park performance in the neighborhood, given the pedigree of their opponents, who are out to moral history books. However it won’t be business as accepted in the knockout stage, and with the likes of South Africa, Morocco, and Zambia closing the gap, Nigeria would wish higher than simply recognition to emerge champion yet again.
While Nigeria would be relying on tremendous names to intimidate her opponents, and defending champions, South Africa gifts a more cohesive facet that operates as a unit. Here's because Bafana Bafana avid gamers are made up of homegrown stars drawn from the streets of Soweto, Bloemfontein and Port Elizabeth, unlike their Nigerian counterparts, who depend largely on foreign-basically based mostly avid gamers. One other personnel that can topic Nigeria’s supremacy is Morocco and Zambia. Atlas Lioness could well well additionally occupy relied on home give a boost to to edge out in the semi-closing on penalties, however coach Jorge Vilda Rodriguez’s facet has improved significantly and could well well additionally yet again punch above its weight as the host.

Sadly sufficient, Nigeria’s preparation for this year’s competition is nothing to jot down home about. Critics opined that the 2 world generous fits against Cameroon and Portugal need to no longer sufficient to prepare the females’s nationwide personnel for a major tournament. The Portugal generous saw a disjointed facet that lacked brotherly love and elegance of play, and it remains to be seen how coach Madugu intends to dig deeply into his technical books of tricks and attain out with the friendly tactics.
Super Falcons’ upcoming generous match against host Morocco and Ghana on the eve of the tournament could offer Nigerians a sever of what to wait for, too.

Verdict
However while the Super Falcons could well well additionally be defensively sound, higher remunerated, slightly organised and advanced to beat, they've no longer been too impressive as a personnel that could well dominate with accepted, coherent football below their novel gaffer. The fixed alternate of guards in the dugout has been a major setback for a Super Falcons facet that held England’s Lionesses at bay at the 2023 FIFA World Cup. Bookmakers are tipping Banyana Banyana of South Africa to build up its 2d WAFCON at the expense of Nigeria Super Falcons, known for its antecedents of blowing frigid and warm as soon as preparations look patchy.