Coach apologizes to Nigerians over Falcons World Cup miss

Super Falcons coach Justine Madugu has apologized to Nigerians for the team's inability to qualify for the 2027 FIFA Women's World Cup. The team's hopes were dashed after a 2-1 defeat to South Africa in a Confederation of African Football play-off held in Morocco.

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I have to apologise to Nigerians over our inability to make it to the World Cup. We are very sorry. It was not our intention.

Madugu admitted that errors and poor finishing contributed significantly to the loss. The Falcons had previously missed an automatic World Cup ticket by losing to Cameroon in the WAFCON quarter-finals, and the play-off offered a final chance.

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We came, did the best that we could, but our best was not good enough.

In the crucial match, South Africa capitalized on Nigeria's defensive mistakes. Thembi Kgatlana scored in the 56th minute, and Refiloe Jane extended the lead in the 77th. Although Christy Ucheibe converted a penalty in added time after a VAR review, it was not enough to secure an equalizer.

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And we’re very sorry for that, and we take full responsibility for everything that happened. There can always be a next time. I’m sorry.

The coach lamented the team's inability to convert the numerous chances they created, describing it as a persistent goal-scoring problem. He stated that while they had enough opportunities to secure victory in the first half, they were wasteful. Madugu also pointed to individual errors and poor decision-making in defense as key factors in the defeat, emphasizing that the team takes full responsibility for the outcome.

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We had chances. Still, the conversion was another problem. And, uh, we made some little errors at the back. They capitalized on that, and, uh, they got the goals that they also got.