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Nigeria’s Super Falcons are missing a crucial opportunity to regroup, just four months before the 2024 Women Africa Cup of Nations(WAFCON) tournament. The second international break for women’s football in 2025 started on March 31 and runs until April 8, but the team remains inactive.
The last time the 11-time African champions were engaged during an international break was in November 2024, when they lost 2-1 to France in a high-profile friendly. Before that, they hosted Algeria in a two-legged friendly game in October 2024.
Since then, the draw for the postponed 2024 WAFCON has been conducted, with the Falcons set to face Tunisia, Algeria, and Botswana in Group B.
NFF president Ibrahim Gusau had promised adequate preparations for the team, saying, “We are in the process of organising more friendly games for the team, to properly blend the old and new players to a formidable squad that will conquer Africa in style”.
However, the team’s inactivity has raised concerns among fans and analysts.
Football enthusiast Ifeoluwa Leo-Olagbaye expressed her frustration, saying, “The female team of Ivory Coast will host Kenya in a two-match friendly on April 4 and 8… Super Falcons who have qualified for WAFCON 2025 with three months to go have wasted two international windows”.
The Super Falcons are still ranked number one in Africa and 36th in the world, but their inactivity may impact their performance in the upcoming tournament.
Asisat Oshoala, Bay FC forward, emphasized the importance of preparation, saying, “The year 2025 is going to be better… We have had back-to-back top games, and we just have to keep that up, and the WAFCON will be a good outing for us”.
The next international break for women will be from May 26 to June 3, just a month before the tournament. The Super Falcons will need to regroup and prepare intensively to reclaim their African title, which they last won in 2018.