NFF Axes Madugu, Falcons’ Crew After WAFCON Exit, World Cup Miss

The Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) has ordered Super Falcons head coach Justin Madugu and members of his technical crew to step down with immediate effect following the team’s disappointing campaign at the 2026 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations (WAFCON) in Morocco.

The federation announced the decision on Monday in a brief statement posted on its official X account.

“The Executive Committee of the Nigeria Football Federation has asked members of the technical crew of the @NGSuper_Falcons to step down with immediate effect,” the NFF stated.

The decision comes after the Super Falcons failed to secure automatic qualification for the 2027 FIFA Women’s World Cup in Brazil following a difficult WAFCON campaign.

Nigeria suffered a shock defeat by debutants Malawi at the start of their Group C campaign, although Malawi went on to reach the final before losing to Cameroon, who won the continental title on Sunday.

The Super Falcons progressed to the quarter-finals but were eliminated by eventual champions Cameroon, ending their hopes of securing an automatic World Cup ticket through the tournament.

Nigeria were subsequently handed another opportunity to qualify through a play-off against South Africa but suffered another defeat, leaving their World Cup hopes hanging on another qualification route.

Madugu had been part of the Super Falcons’ technical set-up since the NFF appointed him and Edwin Okon to the coaching team in November 2021 as part of efforts to restructure the national women’s team.

The latest decision marks a major change in the Falcons’ technical department as the NFF begins the process of finding a new coaching structure for the team.

The setback also comes after Nigeria’s senior men’s team, the Super Eagles, failed to qualify automatically for the 2026 FIFA World Cup in the United States, Canada and Mexico.

The Super Eagles finished second in their qualifying group before losing to DR Congo in the African play-off final, going down 4–3 on penalties after a 1–1 draw following extra time.

With both senior national teams facing major qualification setbacks, the NFF is now under pressure to address the technical and structural issues affecting Nigeria’s international football fortunes.