Nigeria goalkeeper Chiamaka Nnadozie says the Super Falcons remain capable of qualifying for the 2027 Women’s World Cup despite their difficult route to the tournament after their quarter-final defeat by Cameroon at the Women’s Africa Cup of Nations.
The 10-time African champions lost 1-0 to Cameroon in Sunday’s last-eight match at the 2026 WAFCON in Morocco, ending their hopes of securing one of Africa’s four automatic World Cup places through the tournament’s semi-finals.
Nigeria’s defeat allowed Cameroon to take one of the direct qualification places for next year’s World Cup in Brazil. The Indomitable Lionesses will be joined in the tournament by the other three semi-finalists, Algeria, Malawi and Morocco.
However, Nigeria’s hopes of reaching the global tournament have not ended.
As the reigning WAFCON champions, the Super Falcons will face South Africa in a play-off on Thursday, with victory giving them another opportunity to qualify through an inter-confederation tournament later this year.
Nnadozie believes Nigeria can recover from the disappointment against Cameroon and take advantage of the opportunity that remains.
“On Thursday we’ll go out strong, we’ll try to do better than we’ve done (against Cameroon) and hope to get to the next stage of the World Cup qualification. We will go there and make things right.”
The goalkeeper also urged her team-mates to remain positive despite the frustration surrounding their quarter-final exit.
“This is football, this is life. What happened, happened, we just have to keep our heads high. There’s still hope – it’s not over yet,” Nnadozie told the BBC World Service in Morocco.
Nigeria’s defeat has increased the pressure on Justin Madugu’s side, who must now negotiate a more complicated qualification route if they are to maintain their record of appearing at every Women’s World Cup.
The Super Falcons have played at all nine previous editions of the competition, beginning with the inaugural tournament in China in 1991.
Their best performance came in 1999, when they reached the quarter-finals. Nigeria have also advanced to the last 16 at each of the past two editions.
That record is now under threat after they failed to reach the semi-finals in Morocco and lost their status as African champions.
South Africa, who won the WAFCON title in 2022, now stand between Nigeria and the next stage of their World Cup qualification campaign.
The importance of Thursday’s match means the Super Falcons have little time to dwell on their defeat by Cameroon. Instead, they must quickly regroup and prepare for another demanding contest.
Nnadozie said the players had received encouragement from their coach following the setback and appreciated the support as they attempt to recover.
“The coach has been cheering us up, and we really appreciate that from him,” Nnadozie said.
The goalkeeper’s message reflects Nigeria’s determination to remain focused despite the disappointment of failing to defend their continental title.
While Cameroon secured direct qualification by reaching the semi-finals, Nigeria’s path now depends on winning the play-off against South Africa.
The other WAFCON play-off on Thursday will see Ghana face Ivory Coast, with the winners also advancing to the inter-confederation qualification route.
The two victorious teams from the African play-offs will enter a 10-team global qualification competition. A preliminary stage is scheduled for November and December, followed by a final round in February.
That final phase will determine the three remaining qualifiers for the 2027 Women’s World Cup, which is scheduled to begin on 24 June.
For Nigeria, the immediate objective is therefore to overcome South Africa and keep alive their hopes of extending their unbroken World Cup record.
The Super Falcons’ defeat by Cameroon may have removed the simplest route to Brazil, but Nnadozie insists their campaign is not finished.
Nigeria now have one more opportunity to stay in contention, and the goalkeeper says the team intends to respond strongly when they face South Africa on Thursday.
