By Wale Mustapha
English Women’s Super League (WSL) side Everton Ladies have congratulated their Nigerian midfielder, Toni Payne, following her inclusion in the Super Falcons squad for the 2024 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations (WAFCON).
Payne was named among the 24 players selected by Super Falcons head coach Justin Madugu on Friday for the tournament, which will take place in Morocco from July 5 to 26.
The 30-year-old is one of six midfielders included in the squad and brings a wealth of international experience to the team.
Reacting to the news, Everton posted a message of support on their official X (formerly Twitter) account:
“Toni Payne has been named in Nigeria’s squad to travel to the 2025 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations! ✈️ Congratulations, Toni! Good luck with Naija!”
This will be Payne’s fourth appearance at a major international tournament with Nigeria.
She debuted at WAFCON in 2022, where the Falcons finished fourth, and was also part of the squad that reached the Round of 16 at the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup in Australia and New Zealand.
Most recently, she represented Nigeria at the Paris 2024 Olympics.
Payne will be a key figure in Nigeria’s campaign as they aim to reclaim the continental title in Morocco.
Samuel Ahmadu is a distinguished multimedia journalist and women's football expert with over 15 years of experience in the industry. He began his career 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.
