Nigeria thrash Egypt to set up Cameroon quarter-final at WAFCON 2026

Cup-holders Nigeria reached the quarter-finals of the 2026 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations in emphatic fashion, beating Egypt 6-2 at Stade Moulay Hassan on Wednesday night to set up a last-eight meeting with Cameroon.

The Super Falcons produced a commanding attacking display and quickly established control of the match, although Egypt threatened to keep the contest alive by scoring before half-time.

Nigeria took the lead in the 21st minute after a Video Assistant Referee (VAR) review found a handball inside the Egypt penalty area. Asisat Oshoala stepped up and calmly converted the resulting spot-kick to give the 10-time champions the advantage.

The holders then doubled their lead in first-half stoppage time. Substitute Gift Monday finished a well-worked short-corner routine that had been created by Toni Payne and Rinsola Babajide, leaving Nigeria in a strong position at the interval.

Egypt responded soon afterwards, pulling a goal back before the break to reduce the deficit to 2-1 and ensure Nigeria could not settle completely into the second half.

However, the Super Falcons reasserted their authority after the restart. Substitute Uchenna Kanu restored Nigeria’s two-goal advantage in the 57th minute, striking cleanly with her left foot to make it 3-1.

The African champions continued to apply pressure and were awarded two further penalties following VAR interventions. Christy Ucheibe converted the first in the 80th minute before captain Rasheedat Ajibade scored from the spot eight minutes later.

Ajibade was involved again in the match’s final decisive moment, combining with Gift Monday to break through the Egyptian defence deep into stoppage time. They created the opportunity for Joy Omewa, who completed the scoring with a simple finish.

The goal was particularly significant for Omewa as it was her first-ever goal at the Women’s Africa Cup of Nations. It also completed a six-goal performance that underlined Nigeria’s attacking strength and secured their place in the knockout stages.

Nigeria will now turn their attention to a quarter-final against Cameroon, renewing an old rivalry in the next phase of the competition. The Super Falcons go into that tie having demonstrated both their ability to convert pressure into goals and their depth in attack, with substitutes Gift Monday and Uchenna Kanu making decisive contributions after coming off the bench.