Nigeria’s hopes of qualifying for the 2027 FIFA Women’s World Cup in Brazil came to an end on Thursday after the Super Falcons lost 2-1 to South Africa in a CAF play-off match at the 2026 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations in Morocco.
The Falcons had already missed out on an automatic World Cup place following their quarter-final defeat to Cameroon on Sunday.
That loss also ended Nigeria’s long-standing record of reaching at least the semi-finals at every previous edition of the WAFCON and handed the 10-time African champions their worst finish in the tournament’s history.
Nigeria entered the play-off with one final opportunity to preserve their record of appearing at every FIFA Women’s World Cup, but they were unable to get past Banyana Banyana.
After a scoreless first half, Thembi Kgatlana put South Africa ahead in the 56th minute before Refiloe Jane added a second goal in the 77th minute.
The Super Falcons mounted a late comeback after a VAR review awarded Nigeria a penalty and resulted in Jane being sent off. Christy Ucheibe converted the spot kick in stoppage time, but Nigeria could not find an equaliser as South Africa held on to secure victory.
The result means Nigeria will miss the 2027 FIFA Women’s World Cup in Brazil.
South Africa will now progress to the intercontinental play-off tournament scheduled for November and December, where three teams will compete for the remaining African places at the World Cup.
The 2026 WAFCON has been a disappointing campaign for Nigeria, who arrived in Morocco as defending champions after winning a record-extending 10th continental title last year.
Coach Justine Madugu’s side began the tournament with a 3-2 defeat to debutants Malawi on July 28. They responded with a 1-0 win over Zambia and a 3-0 victory over Egypt, advancing to the quarter-finals through a dramatic set of permutations.
However, the 1-0 loss to Cameroon ended their title defence, and the subsequent defeat to South Africa has now brought their World Cup qualification campaign to a close.
