Oshoala says Nigeria cannot afford to miss Women’s World Cup after Malawi shock

Asisat Oshoala says the Super Falcons “cannot afford” to fail in their bid to reach the next Women’s World Cup after Nigeria’s surprise defeat by Malawi at the WAFCON 2026 finals left their qualifying hopes in jeopardy.

Nigeria, the defending champions, were beaten 3-2 by tournament debutants Malawi in their opening Group C match on Tuesday, a result that immediately places huge pressure on their remaining fixtures against Zambia and Egypt.

Temwa Chawinga struck twice and her sister Tabitha Chawinga scored the other as The Scorchers claimed a landmark victory over the nine-time African champions, who have been ever-present at every Women’s World Cup since the competition began in 1991.

The loss means the Super Falcons must now win both of their remaining group games to keep alive their chances of securing a place at the next Women’s World Cup via the 2026 Africa Women’s Cup of Nations.

Wake-up call after Super Eagles’ World Cup failure

Speaking after the match, Oshoala framed the result as a stark warning for the team and drew a direct comparison with the men’s national side, the Super Eagles, who will not be at the 2026 World Cup.

“This is a wake up call for the team, the Super eagles didn’t qualify for the World Cup, so we know what’s at stake, what we need right now is the support of all Nigerians,” the forward said.

Nigeria’s men have now missed consecutive World Cups, having also failed to qualify for the 2022 tournament, and Oshoala underlined that the women’s team are determined not to follow the same path.

Super Falcons’ perfect World Cup record under threat

Since the inaugural Women’s World Cup in China in 1991, the Super Falcons have qualified for every edition of the global showpiece, a record unmatched in Africa.

Their best performance on the world stage came at the 1999 tournament in the United States, where they reached the quarter-finals.

That unbroken sequence of appearances is now under threat following the unexpected setback against Malawi.

Malawi and Zambia seize early initiative

Malawi’s victory over Nigeria has given the WAFCON debutants an early boost in Group C and is one of the most notable results in the history of their women’s team.

Meanwhile, group rivals Zambia opened their campaign in emphatic fashion with a dominant 5-0 win against Egypt.

Star striker Barbra Banda was the standout performer, scoring four of her side’s five goals as Zambia took control of the group on goal difference.

With Zambia already in a strong position and Malawi buoyed by their historic win, the Super Falcons face a daunting task to reassert themselves in the section.

Nigeria now head into their remaining fixtures knowing that only maximum points against Zambia and Egypt will realistically be enough to keep their World Cup ambitions on track and avoid a repeat, on the women’s side, of the Super Eagles’ recent qualifying disappointments.