By Dayo Awoniyi
Nigeria head coach Justine Madugu has called for more preparatory matches ahead of the 2025 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations (WAFCON), expressing the need for better team cohesion and tactical fine-tuning.
The Nigerian women’s national team has only played three friendly games this year, compared to WAFCON hosts Morocco with eight and defending champions South Africa with six.
Despite the limited build-up, Madugu remains optimistic about the team’s chances.
“It’s the desire of every coach to get the best out of preparations,” Madugu said. “We can’t start making excuses at this stage. We’re focused on what lies ahead and have seen positives from the few games we’ve played.”
The coach emphasized that additional friendlies would have given fringe players a chance to prove themselves while helping the team improve combinations and coordination.
“Yes, we would’ve loved more matches to test more players and work on our team structure,” he added.
“But like I said, we’re not making excuses. We’re focused on the task before us.”
Nigeria has been drawn into Group B alongside Tunisia, Botswana, and Algeria. The Super Falcons begin their campaign against Tunisia on Sunday at 5 p.m.
Chasing a record-extending 10th WAFCON title, the Super Falcons will rely on their experience and determination to overcome preparation setbacks and make a strong statement in the tournament.
Samuel Ahmadu is a distinguished multimedia journalist and women's football expert with over 15 years of experience in the industry. On the back of domestic engagement since 2008, he began his international career journey at Goal.com in February 2014, where he served as an African women's football correspondent for nearly eight years. During his tenure at Goal.com, Samuel covered major events such as three Women's Africa Cup of Nations (2016, 2018, 2022) and the 2015 FIFA Women's World Cup in Canada plus 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia. His work at Goal.com earned him widespread acclaim, particularly for his in-depth profiles of African football stars, notably Asisat Oshoala, whose rise he documented from her early years to her breakthrough at the FIFA U20 Women's World Cup in 2014. Prior to his role at Goal.com, Samuel freelanced for various print and broadcast media outlets in Nigeria, including Graphics Newspaper, Radio Nigeria, Grace FM, and Savid Newspaper. His extensive experience and expertise led to his appointment to the Nigeria Football Federation's Standing Committee on Women's Football Development from 2016 to 2018. Since February 2018, Samuel has been the Social Media Manager for Nigeria's women's national teams.In 2019, Samuel joined the Confederation of African Football (CAF) as a women's football content contributor and was promoted to Women's Football Editor in 2021. His contributions to women's football continued as he worked as a Media Consultant for Content Creation and Editorials at the 2022 CAF Women's Champions League. Currently, Samuel also serves as the spokesman for the Nigeria Women Football League, further solidifying his influence and dedication to the growth of women's football in Africa.
