By Dayo Awoniyi
The Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) is set to announce the Super Falcons’ provisional squad for the 2024 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations (WAFCON) following the submission of the player list by head coach Justin Madugu.
The nine-time champions will be aiming to secure a record-extending 10th continental title when the tournament kicks off in Morocco from 5 to 26 July. Nigeria are placed in Group B alongside Tunisia, Algeria, and Botswana.
Their campaign begins on 6 July with a clash against Tunisia at the Larbi Zaouli Stadium in Casablanca.
Madugu, who is preparing for his first major tournament since taking over from former coach Randy Waldrum, confirmed that the squad has already been finalised.
“The list has been submitted and it will be made public in the coming days by the federation. That will definitely happen before our friendly against Portugal on Monday,” he told PUNCH Sports Extra.
However, the coach declined to reveal any player names ahead of the official announcement.
The Super Falcons last won the WAFCON in 2018 and are looking to bounce back from a fourth-place finish in the 2022 edition, also held in Morocco.
The West African team’s preparations include a training camp in Portugal, where they will face the host nation in a warm-up match.
Nigeria has been a dominant force in African women’s football and were Africa’s sole representatives at the inaugural FIFA Women’s World Cups in 1991 and 1995.
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.
