The Super Falcons and Banyana Banyana, two of the top women’s national teams in Africa, will clash on Thursday in a play-off neither team expected to play. Both teams were knocked out at the quarter-final stage of the 2026 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations, according to PUNCH Sports Extra.
Nigeria, the ten-time champions, lost 1-0 to Cameroon while South Africa, the reigning champions, fell to Morocco. These defeats cost both teams direct spots in the 2027 FIFA Women’s World Cup in Brazil, which takes place from June 24 to July 25 next year. The teams that won their quarter-finals have already secured their places at the World Cup, leaving Nigeria and South Africa to compete for two available CAF slots in the intercontinental play-offs. These will happen in two phases between November and February.
This match has a lot of history behind it. The two teams have faced each other more than 23 times, including friendlies, WAFCON, and Olympic qualifiers. Nigeria leads with 15 victories.
But South Africa has closed the gap in recent years. They defeated Nigeria 2-1 in the group stage of the 2022 WAFCON, which helped them win their first continental title. Nigeria later edged out Banyana Banyana in a tough two-legged play-off to qualify for the 2024 Paris Olympics.
Head coach Justin Madugu mentioned that the defeat to Cameroon was a reminder that Nigeria cannot take their status for granted. He believes the Super Falcons will grab this second chance.
“It is about ensuring that we have the right people that will always win every game for us,” Madugu said.
“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.”
Captain Rasheedat Ajibade urged her teammates to use the disappointment from the Cameroon loss to fuel their performance in Thursday’s match.
“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.
Striker Uchenna Kanu shared how deeply the quarter-final exit affected the team. She revealed that some players had trouble eating right after the defeat.
“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, over twenty-four hours after the loss. She assured that the team has already shifted focus to South Africa.
“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.”
Thursday’s match kicks off at 9pm Nigerian time. The winner will advance to the FIFA Intercontinental Play-Off Tournament, where three World Cup spots are still up for grabs.
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