Nigeria’s historic Women’s World Cup streak ends after South Africa defeat
Nigeria’s Super Falcons have failed to qualify for the 2027 FIFA Women’s World Cup after South Africa defeated them 2-1 in Thursday’s decisive CAF play-off.
Nigeria’s Super Falcons will miss the FIFA Women’s World Cup for the first time after suffering a 2-1 defeat to South Africa in Casablanca on Thursday.
The result ended Nigeria’s hopes of reaching the 2027 tournament in Brazil and brought their remarkable record of appearing at every previous edition to an end.
The Falcons entered the play-off after losing 1-0 to Cameroon in the WAFCON quarter-finals. South Africa had also been eliminated at the same stage, suffering a 2-1 defeat against hosts Morocco.
The two sides therefore faced each other for a final opportunity to remain in contention for World Cup qualification.
After a goalless first half, South Africa broke the deadlock in the 56th minute through Thembi Kgatlana. Nigeria struggled to produce an immediate response, while Banyana Banyana continued to threaten as they looked to secure their place in the next stage of qualification.
Captain Refiloe Jane then doubled South Africa’s advantage in the 77th minute, leaving Nigeria facing elimination.
The Falcons were handed a late opportunity when a VAR review resulted in a penalty for Nigeria and a red card for Jane. Christy Ucheibe converted from the spot in stoppage time.
Nigeria pushed for an equaliser during the closing moments but South Africa held firm to secure a 2-1 victory.
The result means Banyana Banyana advance to the inter-confederation play-off tournament, while Nigeria’s World Cup campaign ends before the global tournament for the first time since its inaugural edition in 1991.
The setback caps a disappointing WAFCON campaign for the defending champions. Nigeria began with a shock 3-2 defeat against Malawi before recovering with victories over Zambia and Egypt, but Cameroon ended their title defence in the quarter-finals.
FIFA records Nigeria as having made nine previous World Cup appearances, with their best finish coming in 1999 when they reached the quarter-finals.
