Super Falcons captain Rasheedat Ajibade has described the criticism aimed at the team following their disappointing Women’s Africa Cup of Nations campaign as unfair, stressing that the players remain focused on earning a place at next year’s FIFA Women’s World Cup.
The Falcons now have another chance to qualify for the 2027 FIFA Women’s World Cup after their hopes of automatic qualification were ended by a 1-0 quarter-final defeat to Cameroon at the WAFCON on Sunday.
Nigeria must defeat South Africa in Casablanca on Thursday (today) to secure a place in the FIFA inter-confederation play-offs, which will take place in November and December and offer another pathway to the 2027 World Cup in Brazil.
Nigeria had a difficult beginning to their title defence, suffering a 3-2 defeat to WAFCON debutants Malawi before recovering with a 1-0 win against Zambia and a convincing 6-2 victory over Egypt, which secured their quarter-final spot.
The loss to Cameroon brought an end to Nigeria’s hopes of retaining their WAFCON crown and claiming a record-extending 11th title. It also cost them automatic qualification for the World Cup.
Following the setback, the Falcons faced strong criticism from Nigerian supporters. Ajibade, however, called on fans to appreciate the sacrifices made by the players while representing the country.
“A lot of people don’t know what players are going through to come and represent the country. Players put in everything on the pitch, and people will still say what they want to say. It is not fair, and we can do better as a person, as a nation,” Ajibade said during the pre-match press conference ahead of the South Africa game.
“You have social media, but it doesn’t mean you should keep bashing people.
“For us, we have seen all of those things, and we know that all we are trying to do is make the nation proud. We are not going to the pitch to mess anybody up.
“When you see the jersey, we wear the family name, so that is at stake as well. We also want to win as much as you want to win. We felt everybody’s pain, and we felt the support that we got last year. That is what we want to keep doing.”
Nigeria remains the most decorated team in WAFCON history, with 10 continental titles to their name. The Falcons dominated the early years of the competition, winning its first five editions from 1998 to 2006 before Equatorial Guinea ended their run in 2008.
Nigeria regained the trophy in 2010 but lost it to Equatorial Guinea again in 2012. The West Africans then won three successive editions in 2014, 2016 and 2018 before South Africa claimed the title in 2022.
The Falcons reclaimed their continental crown at the 2024 WAFCON, which was held in 2025, defeating hosts Morocco in the final after coming from behind to secure a record-extending 10th African title.
With every previous champion now eliminated from the competition, a new WAFCON winner will be crowned in Morocco.