Nigeria’s quest for a record-extending 11th Women’s Africa Cup of Nations (WAFCON) title has officially begun, with several key Super Falcons stars reporting early to the team’s training camp in Casablanca, Morocco.
Captain Rasheedat Ajibade, six-time African Women’s Player of the Year Asisat Oshoala, first-choice goalkeeper Chiamaka Nnadozie, Christy Ucheibe, Oluwatosin Demehin, Glory Ogbonna, Rofiat Imuran, Fatima Oloko, and Shukurat Oladipo were among the first batch of players to arrive as preparations gathered momentum on Sunday.
Head coach Justine Madugu has invited a 25-player squad for the continental showpiece, with the remaining players expected to join camp in the coming days before the team relocates to Rabat for the group phase of the competition.
The reigning African champions will be looking to defend the title they won in Morocco while chasing an unprecedented 11th WAFCON crown.
Drawn in Group C, Nigeria will face Malawi, Zambia, and Egypt, beginning their campaign against Malawi on July 28 at the Al Madina Stadium in Rabat.
The 2026 WAFCON, scheduled for July 25 to August 16, will be the first edition to feature 16 teams, marking a new era for women’s football in Africa.
The competition also doubles as part of the qualification process for the 2027 FIFA Women’s World Cup in Brazil, with the four semi-finalists securing automatic qualification.
With expectations once again resting on Africa’s most successful women’s national team, the Casablanca training camp will provide Madugu and his players with the opportunity to sharpen tactics, improve match fitness, and build cohesion ahead of another bid for continental supremacy.