NFF set up panel to investigate Super Falcons’ disastrous 2026 WAFCON campaign

The Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) has established a fact-finding committee to investigate the Super Falcons’ disappointing 2026 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations campaign and the failure to qualify for the 2027 FIFA Women’s World Cup.

The decision comes after Nigeria suffered their worst-ever WAFCON finish and lost their long-standing record of appearing at every Women’s World Cup.

The NFF announced the formation of the committee in a statement released on social media, with its investigation set to focus particularly on the Super Falcons’ failure to secure a place at next year’s World Cup in Brazil.

Nigeria entered the tournament as the defending champions and 10-time African champions but were eliminated in the quarter-finals of the competition in Morocco.

The Falcons then suffered another setback in the playoff for a place in the Inter-Confederations Playoffs, losing 2-1 to South Africa. The defeat ended Nigeria’s remarkable record of qualifying for every edition of the FIFA Women’s World Cup since the competition began in 1991.

“The Nigeria Football Federation has set up a fact-finding committee to investigate the country’s poor run in international competitions, with particular focus on the Super Falcons’ failure to qualify for the 2027 FIFA Women’s World Cup,” the NFF said.

The committee will be chaired by Ambassador Fanny Amun, MON, while Ladan Bosso, Desire Oparanozie, Mutiu Adepoju and Dr Alex Mana will serve as members. Nasiru Jibril has been appointed secretary.

The committee’s mandate extends beyond the Super Falcons, with the NFF saying it will investigate setbacks across the country’s national teams and make recommendations.

Nigeria’s senior men’s team have also endured a difficult period, failing to qualify for the 2022 and 2026 FIFA World Cups.

The country’s U17 and U20 men’s teams have similarly missed out on their respective World Cups. However, the Falcons’ latest failure represents a particularly significant blow given their dominance of women’s football in Africa.

Their absence from the 2027 World Cup brings an end to a record that had stood since the inaugural tournament in 1991.

Advertisement

The NFF will now await the committee’s findings as it seeks to understand the reasons behind Nigeria’s recent struggles and identify measures to prevent further setbacks.