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Madugu Targets Quarter-Final Spot as Super Falcons Face Egypt in Decisive WAFCON Clash
Nigeria head coach Justine Madugu has declared that Super Falcons will be fully focused on securing victory against Egypt in their final Group C fixture at the 2026 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations (WAFCON), insisting his side is determined to control its own qualification destiny.
The West African giants will take on the North Africans on Wednesday at the Olympic Stadium in Rabat, with a win guaranteeing the defending champions a place in the quarter-finals.
Speaking during Tuesday’s pre-match press conference, Madugu revealed that his technical crew had assessed every possible qualification scenario but stressed that the team had no intention of relying on results from other matches.
“We have done all the various permutations of what can get us through, and we know exactly which of the permutations can take us through. We want to have our fate in our hands and not leave it for anybody to decide for us. So, we are going straight for what we know will put us through and that we are aware of,” he said.
The Super Falcons have experienced a mixed campaign so far. The 10-time African champions opened their title defence with a shock 3-2 defeat to Malawi before responding with a determined 1-0 victory over Zambia, despite playing most of the match with 10 players.
Malawi currently lead Group C with six points, while Nigeria and Zambia are tied on three points apiece. A victory over Egypt’s Cleopatras will seal Nigeria’s passage to the knockout stage.
Madugu maintained that his players are approaching the crucial encounter with only one objective.
“No team prepares to lose a game. All we are going out for is to win the game and get a result that will qualify us to the next stage of the competition,” he added.
Experienced defender Osinachi Ohale also highlighted the significance of the fixture, describing it as Nigeria’s biggest challenge of the tournament so far.
“Tomorrow is another day, and I think it is even more important than the first and second games we played. We already know what is at stake, we know the importance of the game, and we are going to take it with all seriousness and even do much better than we did in our last game,” Ohale said.
Egypt head into the contest seeking their first points of the tournament after consecutive defeats, while Nigeria know that victory will keep alive their pursuit of an 11th WAFCON title.
Kick-off is scheduled for 9:00 p.m. West African Time (Nigeria time).
