Nigerians brace up for first-ever WAFCON semi-finals without Super Falcons 

By Harry Awurumibe, Africa’s No.1 Women Football Journalist

Before the 2026 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations (WAFCON) commenced on July 26, football followers in Africa and around the world believed that Nigeria will go all the way in the expanded 16-team biggest women’s football tournament in the continent.

But that high expectations have evaporated like the early morning dews as the 10-time African champions have been eliminated from the race for the WAFCON trophy this time round after suffering a lone goal defeat in the hands of Cameroon in the quarter-finals match played at Stade Larbi Zaouli in Casablanca on Sunday,

 August 9, 2026.

A well struck set piece by an Indomitable Lionesses left back Myriam Maéva Nyadjou in the 19th minute of the highly explosive match between the two arch-rivals was all Cameroon needed to edge out Nigeria from the tournament.

By this defeat, Nigeria missed the opportunity to qualify for the semi-finals stage for the first time-ever in the 14 editions of WAFCON and the third time the country will return from the continental biennial women’s football showpiece empty-handed.

Since winning the inaugural African Women Championship (AWC) now WAFCON held in Nigeria in 1998, the Super Falcons have  gone ahead to lift the coveted African trophy 10 times missing out in 2008, 2012, 2022 and 2026.

A closer look at Nigeria’s overall performance in WAFCON from 1998 to date revealed that has won it in the 10 occasions the country reached the final. Super Falcons have finished in the 3rd place once in 2008 and

4th position twice in 2012 and 2022.

It is also instructive that Super Falcons head coach Justine Madugu has joined his immediate predecessor Randy Waldrum and ex-gaffer Kadiri Ikhana who took over in April 2012 from Eucharia Uche, leading the team to a fourth-place finish at WAFCON 2012 before resigning, as coaches who crashed out of the competition without a medal of any colour.

Meanwhile, with Nigeria out of the way, all the semi-finalists Morocco, Algeria,  Cameroon and Malawi now have a rare opportunity to reach the final and win their first-ever WAFCON trophy yo increase the number of countries that have lifted the cup to four.

In the 28 years history of WAFCON, only three nations Nigeria 10 titles; Equatorial Guinea two and South Africa just one trophy, have the bragging rights of being called African champions.

Later today, at Olympic Stadium Rabat, Algeria and surprise package Malawi will have a date with history as none of these countries have reached WAFCON semi-finals stage before now with Malawi featuring for the first time in the competition.

Recall “The Scorchers” as the Malawians are called dented the records of their more illustrious Super Falcons by defeating the Nigerians 3-2 in the opening Group C match at Al Medina Stadium in Rabat on July 28, 2026.

They have gone ahead to beat Egypt 3-1and defeated Ghana 2-1in the quarter-finals to set up the semi-final cracker against Algeria.

Algeria will play her third match at the Olympic Stadium in Rabat where they defeated Senegal and Kenya 2-0 there in their first and third group matches respectively. They played their quarter-final tie against Côte d’Ivoire at the Moulay Rachid Stadium in Casablanca, where they won 2-1.

In the second semi-final cracker will see Morocco take on  Cameroon and both having previously reached WAFCON finals, the winner of this tie will become the seventh different nation to reach the final since the first tournament under the current format in 1998.

The six previous finalists since 1998 are Nigeria, Ghana, South Africa, Cameroon, Equatorial Guinea and Morocco.