NFF Asks Super Falcons Technical Crew to Step Down After World Cup Miss
By Cynthia Okere, Lagos
The Nigeria Football Federation has directed the technical crew of the Super Falcons to step down with immediate effect, days after Nigeria failed to qualify for the 2027 FIFA Women’s World Cup.
The NFF Executive Committee announced the decision on Monday, August 17, in a brief statement published on the federation’s official social media platform.
“The Executive Committee of the Nigeria Football Federation has asked members of the technical crew of the Super Falcons to step down with immediate effect,” the federation said.
The directive affects the coaching team led by head coach Justine Madugu.
The NFF did not state a specific reason for the decision in its brief announcement. It, however, comes after a difficult period for the Super Falcons, who suffered an early exit from the 2026 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations before missing out on qualification for the next FIFA Women’s World Cup.
Nigeria’s campaign at the continental championship ended with a 1-0 quarter-final defeat to Cameroon, denying the Super Falcons one of Africa’s automatic qualification places for the World Cup.
The team subsequently had another opportunity through the African playoff but lost 2-1 to South Africa, ending Nigeria’s hopes of reaching the 2027 tournament in Brazil.
The failure is particularly significant for Nigerian women’s football because the Super Falcons had qualified for every edition of the FIFA Women’s World Cup since the inaugural tournament in 1991.
Madugu had enjoyed considerable success with the national team before the recent setbacks, including guiding Nigeria to its record-extending 10th Women’s Africa Cup of Nations title.
Following the World Cup qualification failure, the NFF also constituted a fact-finding committee to investigate the recent poor performances of Nigeria’s national teams, with particular attention to the Super Falcons.
The committee, chaired by former NFF General Secretary Fanny Amun, was inaugurated on Monday and given two weeks to investigate the direct and remote causes of the setbacks and submit its findings.
Other members include former Super Falcons captain Desire Oparanozie, former Super Eagles captain Mutiu Adepoju, Nigeria Football Coaches Association President Ladan Bosso and former FIFA referee Alex Mana.
The departure of the technical crew now leaves the NFF with the task of determining the next coaching structure for the Super Falcons as the federation reviews the circumstances surrounding the team’s failure to qualify for the World Cup.
As of Tuesday morning, the NFF had not announced a replacement for Madugu or confirmed who would take charge of the team next.