Super Falcons head coach, Justin Madugu, has confirmed that he has been handed a two-year contract by the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF), officially making him the team’s permanent coach until 1 October 2027, www.aclsports.com reports.
Madugu, who was appointed as the interim coach following the departure of Randy Waldrum, led Nigeria to their 10th Women’s Africa Cup of Nations (WAFCON) title in Morocco in July 2025. He confirmed his permanent appointment shortly after guiding the Super Falcons to qualification against Benin Republic in Abeokuta.
“Just to clarify the situation, the NFF have offered me a two-year contract, effective from 1 October 2025 and ending on 1 October 2027,” Madugu said during his post-match press conference.
While pleased with the qualification, Madugu admitted that the team’s performance was not at its best.
“The draw didn’t come as a surprise because we knew it was going to be a tough game. It was not going to be an easy game based on what we knew about the Benin Republic team,” he said.
“However, I equally want to use this opportunity to apologise to Nigerians for not meeting their expectations. Each time the Super Falcons go out to play, there are always high expectations in terms of results and performance. Sometimes there can be off days, there can be bad days, and we want to consider today’s match from that perspective.”
Madugu described the match as a wake-up call as the team prepares for the 2026 WAFCON, which also doubles as the African qualifiers for the 2027 FIFA Women’s World Cup in Brazil.
“We are not too disappointed. We are taking it as a wake-up call for us to know that there’s more work to be done,” he added.
When asked if the Super Falcons were overconfident going into the second leg, team captain Rasheedat Ajibade said they were not.
“We weren’t overconfident, to be honest. We expected a tough match because in the first leg they came all out in the second half, and we knew they would do the same in this second leg since they had nothing to lose and everything to gain. A point against the Super Falcons is huge for them, you could really see how they celebrated.
It is up to us to stay alert and keep competing at a high level because we know our standard. Today wasn’t our best performance, but there are always opportunities to learn.”
Ajibade also reflected on the honour of captaining the Super Falcons on home soil.
“It is a huge honour and privilege that I do not take for granted. Leading these amazing, talented, professional players is always a huge honour. Today is like other days that I have the privilege to lead the team, and I thank my coach and everyone who has believed in me to have the courage and make me the leader of the team because I’m pretty sure they’ve seen the competence and everything. So it is a huge honour.”
With qualification secured, the Super Falcons will now turn their focus to preparations for the 2026 WAFCON, scheduled from 17 March to 3 April 2026, as they aim to defend their continental crown and secure their qualification for the 2027 Women’s World Cup.
They will join other teams that have already qualified for WAFCON 2026, including Morocco (hosts), Tanzania, South Africa, Zambia, Burkina Faso, Algeria, Malawi, Ghana, Kenya, Cape Verde, and Senegal, with four spots still up for grabs.
