Nigeria Women's National Football Team
The Nigeria women's national football team, nicknamed the Super Falcons, represents Nigeria in international women's football and is controlled by the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF).
The team is Africa's most successful international women's football team, having won a record eleven Women's Africa Cup of Nations titles; their most recent title in 2018, after defeating South Africa in the final. The team is also the only women's national team from the Confederation of African Football to have reached the quarterfinals in both the FIFA Women's World Cup and the Summer Olympics.
| Nickname(s) | Super Falcons | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Association | Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) | ||
| Confederation | CAF (Africa) | ||
| Sub-confederation | WAFU (West Africa) | ||
| Head coach | Randy Waldrum | ||
| Captain | Chiamaka Nnadozie | ||
| Most caps | Onome Ebi (109) | ||
| Top scorer | Perpetua Nkwocha (80) | ||
| FIFA code | NGA | ||
| |||
| FIFA ranking | |||
| Current | 36  2 (15 March 2024) | ||
| Highest | 23 (July – August 2003; August 2004; March 2005) | ||
| Lowest | 46 (August 2022) | ||
| First international | |||
 Nigeria 5–1 Ghana  (Nigeria; 16 February 1991) | |||
| Biggest win | |||
Nigeria 15–0 Niger  (Ivory Coast; 11 May 2019) | |||
| Biggest defeat | |||
 Norway 8–0 Nigeria (Karlstad, Sweden; 6 June 1995)  Germany 8–0 Nigeria (Leverkusen, Germany; 25 November 2010)  France 8–0 Nigeria (Le Mans, France; 6 April 2018) | |||
| World Cup | |||
| Appearances | 9 (first in 1991) | ||
| Best result | Quarter-finals (1999) | ||
| Football at the Summer Olympics | |||
| Appearances | 3 (first in 2000) | ||
| Best result | Quarter-finals (2004) | ||
| Women's Africa Cup of Nations | |||
| Appearances | 14 (first in 1991) | ||
| Best result | Champions (1991, 1995, 1998, 2000, 2002, 2004, 2006, 2010, 2014, 2016, 2018) | ||
| WAFU Zone B Women's Cup | |||
| Appearances | 2 (first in 2018) | ||
| Best result | Champions (2019) | ||
Medal record | |||
They are also one of the few teams in the world and only African team to have qualified for every edition of the FIFA Women's World Cup, with their best performance at the 1999 FIFA Women's World Cup where they reached the quarterfinals.
History
This section needs additional citations for verification. (July 2023) |
They won the first seven African championships, and through their first 20 years lost only five games to African competition: 12 December 2002 to Ghana in Warri, 3 June 2007 at Algeria, 12 August 2007 to Ghana in an Olympic qualifier, 25 November 2008 at Equatorial Guinea in the semis of the 2008 Women's African Football Championship and May 2011 at Ghana in an All Africa Games qualification match.
The Super Falcons have been able to dominate beyond Africa in such arenas as the FIFA Women's World Cup or the Olympic Games however. The team has been to every World Cup since 1991, but managed just once to finish in the top two. In 2003, the Super Falcons turned out to be the biggest disappointment of the first round, failing to score a single goal and losing all three Group A matches. They did little better in 2007, drawing only one of their Group B matches. However, they faced the group of death in both 2003 and 2007, grouped both times with rising Asian power North Korea, traditional European power Sweden, and a historic women's superpower in the USA.
Nigeria hosted the African women's championship finals for the third time in 2001 which were then canceled due to a severe outbreak of gang induced violence within the Nigerian area, replacing Gabon, which was initially granted the right to host but later pulled out citing financial difficulties, and won it for the seventh time in a row. Nigeria's Super Falcons and Ghana's Black Queens represented Africa in China for the 2007 FIFA Women's World Cup.
The "Falconets" are the country's junior team (U-20), which performed creditably in the 2006 FIFA U-20 Women's World Championship held in Russia when they beat Finland 8–0 before they were sent packing by Brazil in the Quarter-finals. They were the runner-up to Germany at the 2010 FIFA U-20 Women's World Cup. Nigeria also played in the 2014 FIFA U-20 Women's World Cup held in Canada and lost to Germany in the finals 0–1, Asisat Oshoala got both the golden ball and golden boot.
The "Flamingoes" are the country's cadet team (U-17), which qualified for the inaugural women's U-17 World Cup New Zealand 2008. Nigeria qualified for the 2019 FIFA Women's World Cup where they were placed in Group A with South Korea, Norway and hosts France.
Labour disputes
The Super Falcons have engaged in multiple disputes with the NFF over back pay, unpaid bonuses and bonus amounts, tournament preparation, and facilities, including sit-in protests, training boycotts, or threats to boycott matches in 2004, 2007, 2016, 2019, 2022, and 2023.
Team image
Nicknames
The Nigeria women's national football team has been known or nicknamed as the "Super Falcons".
FIFA world rankings
- As of 9 June 2023
Worst Ranking Best Ranking Worst Mover Best Mover
| Nigeria's FIFA world rankings | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | Year | Matches played | Won | Lost | Drawn | Best | Worst | ||||
| Rank | Move | Rank | Move | ||||||||
| 41 | 2021 | 6 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 37 |  0 | 41 | 1 | ||
| 45 | 2022 | 10 | 5 | 3 | 2 | 39 | 2 | 46 | 5 | ||
| 40 | 2023 | 5 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 40 | 1 | 45 | 1 | ||
Results and fixtures
The following is a list of match results in the last 12 months, as well as any future matches that have been scheduled.
- Legend
Win Draw Lose Fixture
2023
Nigeria | 11 April Friendly | New Zealand  | 0–3 | Nigeria | Antalya, Turkey |
| 16:00 UTC+3 | Report |
| Stadium: Mardan Sports Complex Referee: Arda Kardeşler (Turkey) |
| 15 July Unofficial friendly | Lions FC | 1–8 | Nigeria | Gold Coast, Australia |
| 16:00 UTC+3 | Report | Attendance: 0 | ||
| Note: Behind-closed-doors training match (rolling subs and no caps) | ||||
Canada | 21 July FIFA WC Group | Nigeria | 0–0 | Canada | Melbourne, Australia |
| 12:30 UTC+10 | Report | Stadium: Melbourne Rectangular Stadium Attendance: 21,410 Referee: Lina Lehtovaara (Finland) |
Nigeria | 27 July FIFA WC Group | Australia  | 2–3 | Nigeria | Brisbane, Australia |
| 20:00 UTC+10 |
| Report | Stadium: Lang Park Attendance: 49,156 Referee: Esther Staubli (Switzerland) |
Nigeria | 31 July FIFA WC Group | Republic of Ireland  | 0–0 | Nigeria | Brisbane, Australia |
| 20:00 UTC+10 | Report | Stadium: Lang Park Attendance: 24,884 Referee: Katia García (Mexico) |
Nigeria | 7 August FIFA WC R16 | England  | 0–0 (a.e.t.) (4–2 p) | Nigeria | Brisbane, Australia |
| 17:30 UTC+10 | Report | Stadium: Lang Park Attendance: 49,461 Referee: Melissa Borjas (Honduras) | ||
| Penalties | ||||
São Tomé and Príncipe | 22 September 2024 AFWCON qualification First round | Nigeria | Cancelled | São Tomé and Príncipe | |
| 16:00 WAT |
Nigeria | 25 September 2024 AFWCON qualification First round | São Tomé and Príncipe | Cancelled | Nigeria | |
| 17:00 WAT |
Nigeria | 25 October 2023 2024 Olympic qualifying | Ethiopia  | 1–1 | Nigeria | Addis Ababa, Ethiopia |
| 15:30 UTC+3 |
|
| Stadium: Abebe Bikila Stadium |
Ethiopia | 31 October 2024 Olympic qualifying | Nigeria | 4–0 (5–1 agg.) | Ethiopia | Abuja, Nigeria |
| Stadium: Moshood Abiola National Stadium | ||||
| Note: Nigeria won 5–1 on aggregate | ||||
Cape Verde | 30 November 2023 2024 AFWCON qualification Second round 1st leg | Nigeria | 5–0 | Cape Verde | Lagos, Nigeria |
| 16:00 UTC+1 | Report (NFF) | Stadium: Onikan Stadium |
Nigeria | 5 December 2023 2024 AFWCON qualification Second round 2nd leg | Cape Verde | 1–2 (1–7 agg.) | Nigeria | Praia |
| Stadium: Estádio Nacional de Cabo Verde | |||
| Note: Nigeria won 7–1 on aggregate. | ||||
2024
Nigeria | 23 February 2024 2024 Olympic qualifying | Cameroon  | 0–0 | Nigeria | Douala Cameroon |
| Stadium: Stade de la Réunification |
Cameroon | 26 February 2024 2024 Olympic qualifying | Nigeria | 1–0 (1–0 agg.) | Cameroon | Abuja,Nigeria |
| Stadium: Moshood Abiola National Stadium | |||
| Note: Nigeria won 1–0 on aggregate. | ||||
South Africa | 5 April 2024 2024 Olympic qualifying | Nigeria | 1–0 | South Africa | Abuja,Nigeria |
| 17:00 UTC+1 | Report | Stadium: MKO Abiola Stadium Referee: Ghada Mehat (Algeria) |
Nigeria | 9 April 2024 2024 Olympic qualifying | South Africa | 0–0 (0–1 agg.) | Nigeria | Pretoria ,South Africa |
| 19:30 UTC+2 | Report | Stadium: Loftus Versfeld Stadium Referee: Dorsaf Ganouati (Tunisia) | ||
| Note: Nigeria won 1–0 on aggregate. | ||||
Brazil | 25 July 2024 2024 Olympic Games GS | Nigeria | v | Brazil | Bordeaux, France |
| Stadium: Stade de Bordeaux |
Nigeria | 28 July 2024 2024 Olympic Games GS | Spain  | v | Nigeria | Nantes, France |
| 19:00 | Report | Stadium: Stade de la Beaujoire |
Nigeria | 31 July 2024 2024 Olympic Games GS | Japan  | v | Nigeria | Nantes, France |
| Stadium: Stade de la Beaujoire |
Coaching staff
Current coaching staff
On 11 July 2023, the coaching squad for the 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup was released by the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF).
- As of 13 December 2023
| Name | Role | Ref. |
|---|---|---|
 Randy Waldrum | Head coach | |
| Ben Waldrum | Associate Head coach | |
| Jesse Goleman | Assistant coaches | |
| Lauren Gregg | ||
| Makwualla Auwal Bashir | Goalkeeping coach |
Manager history
| Name | Start date | End date | Notes | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 Jo Bonfrere | managed Nigeria at 1991 FIFA Women's World Cup, concurrently with the men's national team of Nigeria. | |||
| Paul Hamilton | regarded as the first coach of the women national team; managed Nigeria at 1995 FIFA Women's World Cup | |||
| Ismaila Mabo | managed Nigeria to quarter finals at 1999 FIFA Women's World Cup, thus regarded as the most successful coach; led Nigeria to 2000 Olympics and 2004 Olympics | |||
| Samuel Okpodu | 2002 | managed Nigeria at 2003 FIFA Women's World Cup | ||
| Godwin Izilien | managed Nigeria to win 2004 African Women's Championship | |||
| Ntiero Effiom | managed Nigeria at 2007 FIFA Women's World Cup; led Nigeria to win 2003 All-Africa Games | |||
| Joseph Ladipo | managed Nigeria at 2008 Olympics; led Nigeria to win 2007 All-Africa Games; managed Nigeria to third-place finish at 2008 African Women's Championship | |||
| Uche Eucharia | October 2011 | managed Nigeria to win 2010 African Women's Championship; managed Nigeria at 2011 FIFA Women's World Cup | ||
| Kadiri Ikhana | April 2012 | November 2012 | led Nigeria to fourth place at 2012 African Women's Championship | |
| Edwin Okon | June 2015 | managed Nigeria to win 2014 African Women's Championship; managed Nigeria at 2015 FIFA Women's World Cup | ||
| Christopher Danjuma | September 2015 | led Nigeria to fourth place at 2015 All-Africa Games | ||
| Florence Omagbemi | February 2016 | December 2016 | led Nigeria to win 2016 Africa Women Cup of Nations | |
 Thomas Dennerby | January 2018 | October 2019 | led Nigeria to win at 2019 WAFU Zone B Women's Cup | |
| Randy Waldrum | 2020 | October 2023 | ||
| Justin Madugu | November 2023 | Interim Coach | ||
| Randy Waldrum | November 2023 |
Players
Current squad
- The following players were named to the squad for the 2024 Olympic qualifying 4th Round against
South Africa in April 2024.
Recent call-ups
Following players have been called up to a squad in the past 12 months.
| Pos. | Player | Date of birth (age) | Caps | Goals | Club | Latest call-up |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GK | Yewande Balogun | 28 September 1989 | Saint-Étienne | 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup | ||
| GK | Monle Oyono | 28 November 2000 | - | - | | v. Ethiopia, 31 October 2023 |
| GK | Christiana Obia | 28 February 2001 | - | - | Rivers Angels F.C. | v. Cape Verde, 5 December 2023 |
| DF | Glory Ogbonna | 25 December 1998 |  ALG Spor | 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup | ||
| DF | Onome Ebi (captain) | 8 May 1983 | - | - | Abia Angels | v. São Tomé and Príncipe, 25 September 2023 |
| DF | Comfort Folorunsho | 28 February 2002 | - | - | Edo Queens F.C. | v. Ethiopia, 31 October 2023 |
| DF | Jumoke Alani | - | - | | v. Ethiopia, 31 October 2023 | |
| DF | Glory Edet | - | - | v. Cape Verde, 5 December 2023 | ||
| DF | Rihanat Kasali | - | - | v. Cape Verde, 5 December 2023 | ||
| DF | Oluwatosin Demehin | 13 March 2002 | - | - | Reims | v. Cameroon, 26 February 2024 |
| DF | Akudo Ogbonna | 9 April 2000 | - | - | Rivers Angels | v. Cameroon, 26 February 2024 |
| DF | Rofiat Imuran | 17 June 2004 | - | - | Reims | v. Cameroon, 26 February 2024 |
| MF | Regina Otu | - | - | | v. Ethiopia PRE, 25 October 2023 | |
| MF | Esther Onyenezide | - | - | | v. Ethiopia, 31 October 2023 | |
| MF | Peace Efih | 5 August 2000 | - | - |  S.C. Braga | v. Cape Verde, 5 December 2023 |
| MF | Onyi Echegini | 22 March 2001 | Florida State University | v. Cape Verde, 5 December 2023 | ||
| FW | Chinwendu Ihezuo | 30 April 1997 |  Monterrey | 2023 Women's Revelations Cup | ||
| FW | Desire Oparanozie | 17 December 1993 |  Wuhan Jianghan University | 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup | ||
| FW | Francisca Ordega | 19 October 1993 |  CSKA Moscow | 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup | ||
| FW | Flourish Sebastine | - | - | | v. São Tomé and Príncipe, 25 September 2023 | |
| FW | Vivian Ikechukwu | - | - | | v. São Tomé and Príncipe, 25 September 2023 | |
| FW | Chiamaka Okuchukwu | - | - | | v. São Tomé and Príncipe, 25 September 2023 | |
| FW | Opeyemi Ajakaye | 28 November 2003 | - | - | | v. Ethiopia, 31 October 2023 |
Previous squads
Bold indicates winning squads
Captains
- Desire Oparanozie (2019)
- Asisat Oshoala (2019–2022)
- Onome Ebi (2022–)
Records
*Active players in bold, statistics as of November 2020.
Most capped players
| Top goalscorers
|
Honours
Intercontinental
- FIFA Women's World Cup
- Olympic Games
- Quarterfinals: 2004
Continental
Third-place: 2008- African Games
Regional
Other tournaments
- 2019 Four Nations Tournament (women's football)
- Third-place
- 2021 Turkish Women's Cup
Champions
- 2023 Women's Revelations Cup
- Third-place
Awards
- African Women's National Team of the Year
- Winners: (2010, 2014, 2016, 2018, 2023)
Competitive record
FIFA Women's World Cup
| FIFA Women's World Cup record | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Result | Position | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA |
| 1991 | Group stage | 10th | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 7 |
| 1995 | 11th | 3 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 5 | 14 | |
| 1999 | Quarter-finals | 7th | 4 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 8 | 12 |
| 2003 | Group stage | 15th | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 11 |
| 2007 | 13th | 3 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 4 | |
| 2011 | 9th | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 2 | |
| 2015 | 21st | 3 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 6 | |
 2019 | Round of 16 | 16th | 4 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 2 | 7 |
| 2023 | 10th | 4 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 2 | |
| Total | 9/9 | 30 | 5 | 6 | 19 | 23 | 65 | |
Olympic Games
| Summer Olympics record | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Result | Matches | Wins | Draws | Losses | GF | GA | |
| 1996 | did not qualify | |||||||
| 2000 | Group stage | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 9 | |
 2004 | Quarter-finals | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 4 | |
| 2008 | Group stage | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 5 | |
 2012 | did not qualify | |||||||
| 2016 | ||||||||
| 2020 | ||||||||
| 2024 | qualified | |||||||
| Total | 4/8 | 9 | 1 | 0 | 8 | 7 | 18 | |
Africa Women Cup of Nations
| Africa Women Cup of Nations record | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Round | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | |
| 1991 | Champions | 6 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 20 | 2 | |
| 1995 | Champions | 6 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 27 | 2 | |
| 1998 | Champions | 5 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 28 | 0 | |
| 2000 | Champions | 5 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 19 | 2 | |
| 2002 | Champions | 5 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 15 | 2 | |
| 2004 | Champions | 5 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 18 | 2 | |
| 2006 | Champions | 5 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 18 | 2 | |
 2008 | Third place | 5 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 3 | 3 | |
| 2010 | Champions | 5 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 19 | 4 | |
| 2012 | Fourth place | 5 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 8 | 4 | |
 2014 | Champions | 5 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 16 | 3 | |
| 2016 | Champions | 5 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 13 | 1 | |
| 2018 | Champions | 5 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 10 | 1 | |
 2022 | Fourth place | 6 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 9 | 4 | |
| 2024 | Qualified | |||||||
| Total | 11 Titles | 73 | 57 | 9 | 7 | 223 | 32 | |
African Games
| African Games record | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Round | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | |
| 2003 | Champions | 5 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 17 | 1 | |
 2007 | Champions | 4 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 14 | 2 | |
 2011 | did not qualify | |||||||
 2015 | Fourth place | 5 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 11 | 7 | |
| 2019 | See Nigeria women's national under-20 football team | |||||||
| 2023 | to be determined | |||||||
| Total | 3/4 | 14 | 10 | 1 | 3 | 42 | 10 | |
- 2019 edition of the football tournament was played by the U-20 team.
WAFU Women's Cup record
| WAFU Zone B Women's Cup | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Result | Position | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA |
 2018 | 3rd | 3rd | 5 | 4 | 1 | 3 | 10 | 3 |
| 2019 | Winner | 1st | 5 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 23 | 2 |
| Total | Group Stage | 1/1 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 17 |
Other tournaments
| Year | Result | GP | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 Turkish Women's Cup | 1st | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 11 | 0 | +11 |
| 2023 Women's Revelations Cup | 3rd | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 2 | −1 |
See also
References
Notes
External links
- (in English) Official website
- (in English) FIFA profile
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