Falcons, Banyana in must-win clash to keep W’Cup hopes alive

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The Super Falcons and Banyana Banyana, arguably the two most successful women’s national teams in Africa, will meet on Thursday in a play-off that neither side had planned to be playing, after both were eliminated at the quarter-final stage of the 2026 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations, PUNCH Sports Extra reports.

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Nigeria’s ten-time champions lost 1-0 to Cameroon, while South Africa, the reigning continental champions, fell to hosts Morocco, with both results costing the pair automatic tickets to the 2027 FIFA Women’s World Cup in Brazil, scheduled to run from June 24 to July 25 next year. The countries that won their quarter-final fixtures have already secured their places at the global showpiece, leaving Nigeria and South Africa to fight for one of two available CAF slots at the intercontinental play-offs, to be staged in two phases between November and February.

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The fixture carries significant history. The two countries have met more than 23 times across friendlies, WAFCON and Olympic and World Cup qualifiers, with Nigeria holding the overall advantage with 15 victories.

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That dominance, however, has narrowed in recent years, with South Africa beating Nigeria 2-1 in the group stage of the 2022 WAFCON on their way to winning their maiden continental title, before Nigeria responded by edging Banyana Banyana in a tight two-legged play-off to qualify for the 2024 Paris Olympics.

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Head coach Justin Madugu said the Cameroon defeat had been a reminder that Nigeria could no longer take their status for granted, while insisting the Super Falcons would seize their second chance.

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“It is about ensuring that we have the right people that will always win every game for us,” Madugu said.

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“Nothing is permanent. Everybody is investing so much and ensuring that they improve, so reality should dawn on us. We need to also understand that just because everybody is playing well now, we must also do a lot to try and ensure that we not only remain where we are but also try as much as possible to keep improving at all times.”

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Captain Rasheedat Ajibade called on her teammates to channel the disappointment of the Cameroon loss into Thursday’s fixture.

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“What has happened has happened. There is nothing we can do about that. We cannot control it anymore. It is all about putting ourselves together and getting the loss behind us. Sometimes champions are defined in the face of adversities. We just have to go back and prepare better,” Ajibade said.

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Striker Uchenna Kanu offered a glimpse into how deeply the quarter-final exit affected the squad, revealing that some players struggled to eat in the immediate aftermath of the defeat.

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“People are still in their feelings. Some people did not even come out today for breakfast. Most of us, like myself, I did not have breakfast. I did not show up to lunch,” Kanu said, more than twenty-four hours after the loss. She insisted, however, that the squad had already turned its attention to South Africa.

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“We would take it as a lesson learned, and we build with it, and we look forward to putting everything right on Thursday, leaving everything on the field on Thursday against South Africa.”

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Thursday’s fixture kicks off at 9pm Nigerian time, with the winner advancing to the FIFA Intercontinental Play-Off Tournament, where three remaining World Cup tickets are still available.

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