The Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) has dismissed Super Falcons head coach Justine Madugu and his entire technical crew following the team’s disappointing performances at the 2026 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations and failure to qualify for the 2027 FIFA Women’s World Cup.
The decision was announced by the NFF Executive Committee, which directed the coaching staff to step down with immediate effect.
Madugu’s exit comes after Nigeria’s worst-ever outing at WAFCON, where the nine-time African champions were eliminated at the quarter-final stage after a 1-0 defeat to Cameroon.
The setback was compounded by the team’s failure to secure a place at the 2027 Women’s World Cup in Brazil, following a 2-1 playoff defeat to South Africa.
The back-to-back disappointments marked a historic low for the Super Falcons, who had never previously failed to qualify for the Women’s World Cup since the competition began in 1991.
In response to the poor run of results, the NFF had earlier set up a fact-finding committee to review the team’s performances and recommend necessary changes.
Madugu, who had led the Falcons to the 2025 WAFCON title, came under intense scrutiny after the team failed to replicate that success and struggled for consistency throughout the 2026 campaign.
The NFF is yet to announce a replacement, as attention now turns to rebuilding the team ahead of upcoming international competitions, including Olympic qualification.
The decision signals a major reset for Nigerian women’s football as the federation seeks to restore the Super Falcons’ dominance on the continent and competitiveness on the global stage.
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