Mbachu urges Nigeria to forget preparation problems and focus on WAFCON progress

Former Nigeria winger Stella Mbachu has called on the Super Falcons to stop dwelling on their troubled preparations for the 2026 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations and focus on securing a place in the quarter-finals.

Nigeria’s title defence began with a surprise defeat by tournament debutants Malawi before they responded with a determined 1-0 win against Zambia. The Super Falcons played for more than half of that match with 10 players.

The contrasting results have intensified scrutiny of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF), with supporters criticising the governing body for failing to arrange enough high-quality friendly matches before the competition.

However, Mbachu believes discussions about the team’s preparations must now give way to performances on the pitch. Speaking to Brila, the former Nigeria international acknowledged that inadequate preparation contributed to the side’s inconsistent start, but warned it should not dominate the story of their campaign.

Mbachu said the federation’s shortcomings should be recognised, but added that the players had still accumulated sufficient playing time with their clubs before travelling to Morocco. She believes their immediate responsibility is to turn that experience into results.

The former Rivers Angels striker also called for lessons to be learned by everyone involved. While the NFF must avoid repeating the same mistakes before future major tournaments, Mbachu said the players and coaching staff also have a duty to improve.

She stressed that assigning blame during the tournament would do little to help Nigeria’s prospects.

The victory over Zambia has revived the Super Falcons’ campaign and kept their hopes of reaching the knockout stages alive after the setback against Malawi. For Mbachu, that result should represent a turning point, with the focus now firmly on supporting the team.

She urged Nigerians to encourage the players rather than continue revisiting the circumstances leading up to the tournament. In her view, backing the squad will have a much greater effect on their chances than prolonged arguments about the quality of their preparation.

Nigeria remain in contention to reach the knockout stages and still control their own fate, but only if they defeat Egypt tonight. Any other result could leave them facing the prospect of missing out on qualification for the 2027 FIFA Women’s World Cup.

Mbachu hopes the NFF has understood the need to provide the women’s national team with better preparation for future international competitions. Nevertheless, she believes that debate should wait until after the immediate task in Morocco has been completed.

For now, she wants the Super Falcons to concentrate on winning matches and securing their place in the quarter-finals later today.

Mbachu’s wider message was that football tends to remember winners rather than the difficulties they faced before or during a tournament. The former Super Falcons star said there would be no excuses if Nigeria fail to achieve their objective, as the team pursue a record-extending 11th WAFCON title.

Her warning to the squad was clear: move forward, respond on the pitch and make sure the team’s campaign remains alive.