Super Falcons captain Rasheedat Ajibade has gone public with her frustration over the Nigeria Football Federation’s handling of the team’s build-up to the 2026 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations, Footynaija.com reports.
The stakes for the Falcons this summer could hardly be higher. WAFCON 2026, rescheduled by CAF from March to July and set to be hosted by Morocco, doubles as Africa’s qualifying tournament for the 2027 FIFA Women’s World Cup in Brazil, with four spots available.
Nigeria are going in as defending champions, having claimed a record-extending tenth continental title in Rabat last July, a tournament in which Ajibade won the Most Valuable Player award before subsequently joining Paris Saint-Germain.
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The preparation, however, has been anything but smooth. Head coach Justine Madugu’s side played two friendlies against Cameroon during the February international window, and were scheduled to face Cape Verde in a double-header this month.
Cape Verde have since withdrawn, leaving the NFF scrambling for a replacement opponent with the April window, running from April 7 to 18, already underway. Players were also reportedly not officially informed of the camp opening date, with Ajibade sharing a screenshot of what appeared to be an informal message from an NFF official telling her camp would open on April 11.
The timing of the NFF’s public announcement of the men’s Unity Cup squad, which confirmed the Super Eagles’ participation in a four-nation tournament in London in May alongside India, Jamaica and Zimbabwe, appears to have added fuel to the fire over the perceived disparity in how both senior teams are treated.
Ajibade did not hold back in an Instagram post, as confirmed in multiple reports, directing her frustration at the disorganisation surrounding the team.
“We are not just preparing for the Women’s Africa Cup of Nations, we are also fighting for World Cup qualification. So why are we not preparing with the seriousness and intensity this demands? Abeg, wetin be all this one, for how long?” she said.
