It’s a crisis, but it’s not yet time to cry | Super Falcons’ loss to Malawi
Nigeria’s historic defeat to Malawi exposed longstanding flaws within the Super Falcons, but with two group games remaining, their WAFCON campaign can still be salvaged if they respond decisively.
Justine Madugu’s assertion that the loss to Malawi is a wake-up call doesn’t justify the reality. It is more of a rude awakening for a team basking in glory that is no longer entirely theirs, having become so arrogant that they seem to have forgotten that history alone does not make them queens.
While many fans will argue that early criticism is unfair after the defending champions lost only their opening game, the truth is this has become a pattern. The difference this time is that the margins that have always favoured them during their most recent triumph, did not against Malawi.
In today’s world, there is little to separate the Super Falcons from the likes of South Africa, Morocco and even Zambia. But for Nigeria’s sake, the hope is that the inevitable does not become the only thing capable of forcing the country to confront this new reality.
A team living on glory not owned
While Nigeria have won 10 out of the 13 total titles, this is a team dominated by players who have won just one Women’s Africa Cup of Nations title and recorded a fourth-place finish, yet they carried themselves like the Invincibles of the late 1990s and early 2000s.
They turned the pre-match mood into a celebration, posturing as though the game had already been won. Yet they have hardly been dominant over Africa’s emerging powers, with Morocco, South Africa and even Zambia proving capable of matching them in recent years.
Warning signs hidden by a Championship
Since the tournament returned after the COVID-19 enforced break that saw the cancellation of the 2020 edition, Super Falcons have lost two of five knockout games, just one shy of the total defeats in the first 11 editions combined.
In the previous edition in 2025, three years after a disappointing fourth-place finish, the journey to Nigeria’s tenth title was far from straightforward. In truth, the triumph owed as much to resilience of the individuals as it did to outright superiority.
An edgy 1-0 victory over Botswana followed the opening 3-0 win against Tunisia, before the star-studded side could only manage a goalless draw with Algeria in their final group match.
The four group goals scored represented the country’s lowest return in a single WAFCON campaign since 2008, when they managed only three goals throughout the tournament despite finishing third.
The 5-0 quarter-final victory over Zambia was arguably the Super Falcons’ only truly convincing display in 2025, with Justine Madugu’s side often relying on moments of individual brilliance, particularly from Esther Okoronkwo, to rescue difficult situations.
The attacker inspired them to beat Banyana Banyana of South Africa in the semi-finals before coming clutch again in the final, after the team went 2-0 down to host Morocco after just 24 minutes into proceedings.
While the comeback was thrilling, it also exposed a team that no longer enjoys the overwhelming authority its reputation suggests. The reality is that the continent’s leading challengers have closed the gap considerably.
The tactical flaws by Justine Madugu
Recent team selections have also suggested a lack of respect for opponents, with line-ups often appearing overly attack-minded instead of being built around balance and control.
The Super Falcons have failed to keep a clean sheet in three consecutive WAFCON games, an unusual number for a nation that barely concedes goals, and even went an entire edition without picking the ball out of their net.
The possession statistics in their last five games in the tournament have been fairly balanced, with South Africa and Zambia outplaying them, while Morocco also did before their collapse after going 2-0 up in the last final.
It highlights that the team is deficient in its tactical setup, especially in the midfield, where attack-minded players have been preferred, leading to chaos rather than control, making matches farr more likely to swing either way.
Why the Malawi defeat Is different
The defeat to debutant Malawi marked the first time Nigeria had conceded three goals in a single WAFCON match. Historically, three goals would often represent the total the Super Falcons conceded across an entire tournament.
The Scorchers were not only considered the outsiders in Group C but had also gone almost a year without a victory, losing five of their previous seven matches before producing what is now the greatest result in their women’s football history.
A crisis, but it’s not yet time to cry
Nigeria’s dominance may be fading, and there is every reason for concern. However, with two group matches remaining, tactical adjustments and a change in mentality could still rescue their campaign.
A lot is at stake aside their continental dominance, because they’ll need at least a semi-final finish to be guaranteed a place in the next FIFA Women’s World Cup.
Regardless of how their tournament ends in Morocco, the truth that the rest of Africa has closed the gap on the Super Falcons remains undeniable, and the aura of invincibility has become a distant memory.
Winning the previous edition was a welcome reminder of Nigeria’s enduring quality, but matches balanced on a knife-edge will not always fall their way. They did in 2025. Against Malawi, they did not. Instead, it left them with a rude awakening, a reality that their success had long obscured.
