Former Super Falcons captains Desire Oparanozie, Patience Avre and Kikelomo Ajayi have warned that Nigeria can no longer survive on past glory, as the team prepares to resume its 2028 Women’s Olympic qualifying campaign in October under a new technical crew, following the squad’s historic failure to qualify for the 2027 FIFA Women’s World Cup.
The setback ended a remarkable run for Nigeria, whose record of appearing at every edition of the Women’s World Cup since its 1991 launch came to a close after the Super Falcons suffered their earliest-ever exit at the 2026 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations in Morocco, losing 1-0 to Cameroon in the quarter-final.
That defeat cost them automatic qualification for the global showpiece, before a 2-1 loss to South Africa in the CAF play-off in Casablanca sealed their fate.
The fallout was swift. The Nigeria Football Federation asked the technical crew led by coach Justine Madugu to step down on Monday, alongside former Falcons goalkeeper Ann Chiejine, goalkeeper coach Auwal Makwalla, and Swedish duo Igor Krulj and Per Karlsson, who served as video analyst and fitness coach respectively.
NSC Director-General Bukola Olopade has hinted that a new technical crew will be in place before the Falcons resume their Olympic qualifiers in October against Comoros, who advanced to the second round after a 30-0 aggregate victory over Sudan.
Ajayi, who captained the Super Falcons through several major tournaments, said Nigeria must stop looking to the past and instead build a new era of success.
“We have not lost our glory, but it is a warning that the rest of Africa has caught up and become much more competitive. That is actually good for African women’s football, but it also means Nigeria must raise its standards. The Super Falcons have the talent, experience and pedigree to compete with the best,” she said.
Avre-Odeli, who chairs the United Ex-Super Falcons Association, has tasked the NSC and NFF with ensuring Nigeria secures one of only two African tickets to the Olympic tournament.
She warned that without adequate preparation the team may fall short of expectations, and flagged a structural funding gap as a key risk: unlike the Women’s World Cup, which the NFF finances directly, funding for Olympic-bound athletes and footballers falls solely on the NSC, making close coordination between the two bodies essential.
Former Wolfsburg forward Oparanozie echoed the need for change, arguing the team requires an infusion of fresh young players and a qualified coach to guide the reset.
Other former internationals have been equally blunt. Ifeanyi Udeze called the World Cup miss “an insult,” questioning the team’s mentality and unity rather than its talent: “It’s not like our players are not good, but I think they were overconfident going into the WAFCON, and it seems there’s no unity among them.”
Former winger Stella Mbachu urged the squad to stop dwelling on preparation complaints and focus on results, insisting football remembers winners rather than excuses.
Amid the turmoil, senior players have tried to steady morale.
Goalkeeper Chiamaka Nnadozie urged fans not to abandon the team, saying: “The future is still bright.
We have the Olympics qualifiers to play for. As we didn’t make it to the World Cup, we will try and make it to the Olympics.”
Nigeria and Zambia represented Africa at the most recent Olympics in Paris, and the Falcons will be aiming to better that showing as they attempt to end a stretch of Olympic near-misses that has repeatedly separated Africa’s most successful women’s football nation from the sport’s biggest stage.
