Defending champions Nigeria have reached the quarter-finals of the 2026 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations after producing a dominant 6-2 victory over Egypt.
The Super Falcons‘ emphatic win, combined with Malawi’s 2-1 defeat by Zambia, secured Nigeria’s place among the final eight teams in the tournament.
Nigeria recovered from their opening-match setback against Malawi to finish strongly in Group C, with their victory over Zambia followed by Wednesday’s commanding performance against Egypt.
The result also gave Nigeria the head-to-head advantage over Zambia, who finished level with both Nigeria and Malawi on six points but were eliminated.
Nigeria took control of the match against Egypt in the 21st minute when Asisat Oshoala converted a penalty.
Oshoala sent the Egyptian goalkeeper the wrong way from the spot to give the Super Falcons an early advantage and set the tone for an attacking performance that produced six goals.
Nigeria doubled their lead in first-half stoppage time through substitute Gift Monday, who scored in the first minute of added time.
Egypt were given hope before the interval when Nadine Ghazi converted a penalty to reduce the deficit to 2-1.
But Nigeria quickly re-established their authority after the break.
Rinsola Babajide created the opportunity for Nigeria’s third goal, providing an assist as the Super Falcons restored their two-goal advantage in the 57th minute.
Babajide was a constant threat from the flank throughout the contest and finished the match with two assists. Her performance earned her the player of the match award.
Nigeria continued to press for more goals as Egypt struggled to contain their opponents.
Christy Ucheibe converted another penalty in the 81st minute to put Nigeria 4-1 ahead.
Egypt responded just three minutes later, with Ghazi scoring her second goal of the game after receiving a pass from Yasmine Zizo.
The response, however, did little to change the outcome as Nigeria dominated the closing stages.
Captain Rasheedat Ajibade scored Nigeria’s fifth goal during stoppage time, converting the team’s third penalty of the match.
There was still time for another goal.
Joy Ezeomewo completed the scoring in the eighth minute of added time, with Ajibade providing the assist as Nigeria finished with a six-goal haul.
The final score was 6-2, underlining the Super Falcons’ attacking strength and securing their progression to the knockout phase.
Nigeria’s route to the quarter-finals has been notable for the way the team recovered from an unexpected opening defeat.
The defending champions began their campaign with a 3-2 loss to Malawi, putting their hopes of progressing under immediate pressure.
They responded by beating Zambia 1-0 before producing their biggest performance of the group stage against Egypt.
The victory over Zambia proved particularly important because Nigeria finished level on six points with the Copper Queens and Malawi.
Nigeria’s head-to-head record against Zambia ultimately worked in their favour, while Zambia’s defeat to Malawi meant the Copper Queens were eliminated despite winning their final match.
Nigeria now turn their attention to the quarter-finals, where they will face Cameroon.
The Super Falcons will be looking to carry the attacking momentum from their victory over Egypt into the knockout stages as they attempt to defend their continental title.
Should Nigeria overcome Cameroon, their next opponent will be the winner of the semi-final between Morocco and South Africa.
After a difficult start to the tournament, Nigeria have now put themselves within three victories of retaining the Women’s Africa Cup of Nations crown.
