Nigeria's Super Falcons Ready for Malawi Clash

Super Falcons head coach Justin Madugu says Nigeria will not look down on debutants Malawi when both teams meet in their first Group C match at the 2026 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations on Tuesday. He believes every team in the tournament deserves respect, according to PUNCH Sports Extra.

Malawi is making their first appearance at the Women’s Africa Cup of Nations after showing strong performances during the qualifiers.

Known as the Scorchers, they earned their first WAFCON qualification with a 2, 0 aggregate win over Angola at Bingu National Stadium in Lilongwe.

Madugu, who led Nigeria to a record 10th WAFCON title last year, said his team is focused on their goals despite facing new challengers. The Falcons rallied from two goals down to beat Morocco in the final.

“We respect all the teams in the tournament. Malawi are debutants but they are a very good side, so we are not taking anything for granted. Everybody is coming here with a purpose and a mission, so you don’t undermine what they can do,” Madugu said at his pre-match press conference.

“We have huge respect for our opponents and we will stick to our mission as well. We have a focus, we have a target and we know what we want to achieve. We want to qualify for the World Cup and also retain the trophy we won last year.”

Nigeria enters WAFCON 2026 as the defending champions and the most successful nation in the tournament's history with 10 continental titles. The Super Falcons are in Group C with Malawi, Zambia, and Egypt.

Winning against Malawi would be the perfect start for Nigeria’s title defense before facing tougher matches against Zambia on Saturday, August 1, and Egypt in their final group game four days later.

This year’s tournament also acts as the African qualifying competition for the 2027 FIFA Women’s World Cup in Brazil. The four semi-finalists will automatically qualify, while one more African nation will get through the intercontinental play-offs.

Madugu’s team aims to kick off their campaign positively as they look to defend their continental title and secure a spot at the next FIFA Women’s World Cup.