Nigeria Players Abroad
Amao calls Super Falcons’ World Cup play-off defeat ‘unacceptable’
Former Shooting Stars coach Fatai Amao has described Nigeria’s 2-1 defeat by South Africa in the 2027 Women’s World Cup play-offs as “unacceptable”, with the result ending the Super Falcons’ hopes of reaching the tournament in Brazil.
Nigeria were unable to overturn South Africa’s advantage after goals from Thembi Kgatlana and Refiloe Jane secured victory for Banyana. Christy Ucheibe converted a late penalty for the Super Falcons, but her effort came too late to prevent Nigeria from being eliminated.
The defeat means Nigeria will not qualify for the 2027 Women’s World Cup, which would have been the first time the country had reached the women’s biggest football tournament in Brazil.
Amao, speaking to Completesports.com after the match, said the Super Falcons had failed to make the most of an important opportunity to recover from their recent disappointment.
“I am really disappointed with the way the Super Falcons lost their only chance of qualifying for the 2027 Women’s World Cup to South Africa.
“This performance is unacceptable considering the fact that this match was supposed to serve as an opportunity for the team to bounce back to winning ways.
“We have to look beyond this result and start to prepare early for the next tournament.”
Nigeria’s latest setback follows their quarter-final elimination by Cameroon at the 2026 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations, a result which brought an end to a remarkable record for the Super Falcons.
Before that tournament, Nigeria had reached at least the semi-finals in every WAFCON edition they had contested. They had never previously been knocked out in the quarter-finals.
The Super Falcons’ record in the competition includes 10 titles, three other semi-final exits and several appearances in the final.
However, their defeat by Cameroon meant they were forced to pursue another route towards the 2027 Women’s World Cup. The loss to South Africa has now ended that possibility and ruled Nigeria out of the intercontinental play-offs.
South Africa’s two goals came in the second half. Kgatlana broke the deadlock in the 56th minute, while Jane extended Banyana’s lead with 13 minutes of normal time remaining.
Ucheibe gave Nigeria renewed hope when she scored from the penalty spot late in the match, but the Super Falcons were unable to find an equaliser before the final whistle.
In the other match, Ghana defeated Cote d’Ivoire 2-1 in the earlier kick-off. That victory earned Ghana a place in the preliminary round of the Inter-Confederation Play-offs.
For Nigeria, Amao has called for early preparations for the next tournament after the latest failure to qualify. His assessment adds to the pressure on the Super Falcons following a disappointing sequence that has seen their long-standing WAFCON record end and their hopes of reaching the 2027 Women’s World Cup disappear.
