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Nigeria women's national football team
Women's national football team representing Nigeria From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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The Nigeria women's national football team,[a] nicknamed the Super Falcons, represents Nigeria in international women's football and is controlled by the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF). The team is Africa's most successful international women's football team, having won a record ten Women's Africa Cup of Nations titles;[3] their most recent title in 2025, after defeating Morocco in the final. The team is also the only women's national team from the Confederation of African Football to have reached the quarterfinals in both the FIFA Women's World Cup and the Summer Olympics.
They are also one of the few teams in the world and only African team to have qualified for every edition of the FIFA Women's World Cup, with their best performance at the 1999 FIFA Women's World Cup where they reached the quarterfinals.
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History
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 | This section needs additional citations for verification. (July 2023) |
They won the first seven African championships, and through their first 20 years lost only five games to African competition: 12 December 2002 to Ghana in Warri, 3 June 2007 at Algeria, 12 August 2007 to Ghana in an Olympic qualifier, 25 November 2008 at Equatorial Guinea in the semis of the 2008 Women's African Football Championship and May 2011 at Ghana in an All Africa Games qualification match.
The Super Falcons have been able to dominate beyond Africa in such arenas as the FIFA Women's World Cup or the Olympic Games however. The team has been to every World Cup since 1991, but managed just once to finish in the top two. In 2003, the Super Falcons turned out to be the biggest disappointment of the first round, failing to score a single goal and losing all three Group A matches. They did little better in 2007, drawing only one of their Group B matches. However, they faced the group of death in both 2003 and 2007, grouped both times with rising Asian power North Korea, traditional European power Sweden, and a historic women's superpower in the USA.
Nigeria hosted the African women's championship finals for the third time in 2001 which were then canceled due to a severe outbreak of gang induced violence within the Nigerian area, replacing Gabon, which was initially granted the right to host but later pulled out citing financial difficulties, and won it for the seventh time in a row. Nigeria's Super Falcons and Ghana's Black Queens represented Africa in China for the 2007 FIFA Women's World Cup.
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The "Falconets" are the country's junior team (U-20), which performed creditably in the 2006 FIFA U-20 Women's World Championship held in Russia when they beat Finland 8–0 before they were sent packing by Brazil in the Quarter-finals. They were the runner-up to Germany at the 2010 FIFA U-20 Women's World Cup. Nigeria also played in the 2014 FIFA U-20 Women's World Cup held in Canada and lost to Germany in the finals 0–1, Asisat Oshoala got both the golden ball and golden boot.
The "Flamingoes" are the country's cadet team (U-17), which qualified for the inaugural women's U-17 World Cup New Zealand 2008. Nigeria qualified for the 2019 FIFA Women's World Cup where they were placed in Group A with South Korea, Norway and hosts France.
Labour disputes
The Super Falcons have consistently clashed with the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) over back pay, unpaid bonuses, daily allowances, and poor facilities. These disputes have resulted in sit‑in protests, training boycotts, or threats to boycott several key tournaments:
- 2004 – Following their AWCON victory in Johannesburg, players staged a three-day sit-in at their hotel over unpaid bonuses. President Olusegun Obasanjo intervened and paid ₦1 million to each player.[4][5]
- 2007 – At the FIFA Women’s World Cup, the team boycotted training over unpaid back pay after their group match against Sweden. The dispute was resolved ahead of their final group match against the United States.[6]
- 2016 – After winning AWCON, players refused to leave their hotel for 13 days and marched to the National Assembly demanding unpaid bonuses (~US$23,650 per player).[7]
- 2019 – After their World Cup exit in France, players staged a sit-in protest in their hotel over unpaid bonuses and allowances.[8][9]
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Team image
Nicknames
The Nigeria women's national football team has been known or nicknamed as the "Super Falcons".
FIFA world rankings
- As of 9 June 2023[15]
Worst Ranking Best Ranking Worst Mover Best Mover
Results and fixtures
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The following is a list of match results in the last 12 months, as well as any future matches that have been scheduled.
- Legend
Win Draw Lose Fixture
2024
| 25 July 2024 2024 Olympic Games GS | Nigeria  | 0–1 |  Brazil | Bordeaux, France |
| Stadium: Stade de Bordeaux |
| 28 July 2024 2024 Olympic Games GS | Spain  | 1–0 | Nigeria | Nantes, France |
| 19:00 | Report | Stadium: Stade de la Beaujoire |
| 31 July 2024 2024 Olympic Games GS | Japan  | 3–1 | Nigeria | Nantes, France |
| Stadium: Stade de la Beaujoire |
| 26 October 2024 Friendly | Nigeria | 2–0 |  Algeria | Lagos, Nigeria |
| 16:00 UTC+1 | Ajibade  24', 45+2' |
Report (FAF) | Stadium: Remo Stars Stadium |
2025
| 3 June Friendly | Nigeria | 2−0 |  Cameroon | Abeokuta, Nigeria |
| 16:00 UTC+1 | Ajibade 28' (pen.), 43' |
Report | Stadium: MKO Abiola Stadium |
| 23 June Friendly | Portugal  | 0−0 | Nigeria | Amadora, Portugal |
| 19:00 UTC+1 | Report | Demehin  76' |
Stadium: Estádio José Gomes Referee: Ainara Acevedo (Spain) Player of the Match: Beatriz Fonseca (Portugal) |
| 29 June Friendly | Ghana  | 1−3 | Nigeria | Mohammedia, Morocco |
| 17:00 UTC+1 | Report | Stadium: Ziaida Sports Complex |
| 6 July CAF WAFCON 2024 GS | Nigeria | 3−0 |  Tunisia | Casablanca, Morocco |
| 17:00 UTC+1 | Report | Stadium: Larbi Zaouli Stadium Referee: Suavis Iratunga (Burundi) |
| 10 July CAF WAFCON 2024 GS | Botswana  | 0-1 | Nigeria | Casablanca, Morocco |
| 20:00 UTC+1 | Report |
|
Stadium: Larbi Zaouli Stadium Referee: Aline Umutoni (Rwanda) |
| 13 July CAF WAFCON 2024 GS | Nigeria | 0-0 | Algeria | Casablanca, Morocco |
| 20:00 UTC+1 | Report | Stadium: Larbi Zaouli Stadium Referee: Antsino Twanyanyukwa (Namibia) |
| 18 July CAF WAFCON 2024 QF | Nigeria | 5–0 |  Zambia | Casablanca, Morocco |
| 18:00 | Report | Stadium: Larbi Zaouli Stadium Referee: Bouchra Karboubi (Morocco) |
| 22 July CAF WAFCON 2024 SF | Nigeria | 2–1 |  South Africa | Casablanca, Morocco |
| 18:00 | Report |
|
Stadium: Larbi Zaouli Stadium Referee: Shamirah Nabadda (Uganda) |
| 26 July CAF WAFCON 2024 Final | Morocco  | 2–3 | Nigeria | Rabat, Morocco |
| 21:00 | Report | Stadium: Olympic Stadium Referee: Antsino Twanyanyukwa (Namibia) |
| October CAF WAFCON 2026 qualifying | Benin  | v | Nigeria | Benin |
| --:-- UTC+1 |
| October CAF WAFCON 2026 qualifying | Nigeria | v | Benin | Nigeria |
| --:-- UTC+1 |
| November WAFU B Women's Cup 2025 | Nigeria | v |  To be determined | Benin |
| --:-- UTC+1 |
| November WAFU B Women's Cup 2025 | Nigeria | v | To be determined | Benin |
| --:-- UTC+1 |
| November WAFU B Women's Cup 2025 | To be determined | v | Nigeria | Benin |
| --:-- UTC+1 |
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Coaching staff
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Current coaching staff
On 11 July 2023, the coaching squad for the 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup was released by the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF).[16]
- As of 13 December 2023
Manager history
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Players
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Current squad
The following 24 players were called up for the 2024 Women's Africa Cup of Nations, taking place from 5 to 27 July 2025.[38]
Recent call-ups
Following players have been called up to a squad in the past 12 months.
Notes:
- ALT: Alternate
Previous squads
Bold indicates winning squads
Captains
- Desire Oparanozie (2019)[39]
- Asisat Oshoala (2019–2022)[40]
- Onome Ebi (2022–2025)[41]
- Rasheedat Ajibade (2025–present)
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Records
*Active players in bold, statistics as of November 2020.
![[icon]](#/media/File:Wiki_letter_w_cropped.svg){kind=small}
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Honours
Major competitions
Continental
Regional
Friendly
- 2019 Four Nations Tournament (women's football)
Third-place
- 2021 Turkish Women's Cup
Champions
- 2023 Women's Revelations Cup
- Third-place
Awards
- African Women's National Team of the Year
- Winners: (2010, 2014, 2016, 2018, 2023, 2024)
- Competition organized by the Association of National Olympic Committees of Africa, officially not recognized by FIFA.
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Competitive record
FIFA Women's World Cup
Olympic Games
Africa Women Cup of Nations
African Games
- 2019 edition of the football tournament was played by the U-20 team.
WAFU Women's Cup
Other tournaments
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Notes
See also
References
External links
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