Super Falcons forward Esther Okoronkwo says Nigeria must quickly move on from the disappointment of missing the 2027 FIFA Women’s World Cup and begin preparing for the challenges ahead.
The Super Falcons suffered a 2–1 defeat to South Africa in the decisive World Cup play-off in Casablanca, ending Nigeria’s remarkable record of qualifying for every edition of the Women’s World Cup since the tournament began in 1991.
Okoronkwo admitted that the result has been difficult for the players to accept, particularly because of the importance of qualifying for the tournament in Brazil.
However, the AFC Toronto forward believes the team cannot afford to remain focused on what has already happened.
“Everyone is disappointed that we didn’t make it to the World Cup. It’s painful, but we have to pick ourselves up, move forward and focus on what comes next.”
The Super Falcons entered the 2026 WAFCON as defending champions but saw their title defence end in the quarter-finals following a 1–0 defeat to Cameroon.
They were subsequently given another opportunity to qualify for the World Cup through the CAF play-off but were beaten by South Africa after goals from Thembi Kgatlana and Refiloe Jane. Christy Ucheibe’s late penalty was not enough to prevent Nigeria’s elimination.
Okoronkwo believes the experience should now serve as a lesson for the team rather than something that continues to weigh on the players.
The forward was part of Nigeria’s squad that won the previous WAFCON title and has established herself as an important attacking option for the Super Falcons. She also played a key role in Nigeria’s 2024 Olympic qualification campaign, scoring the decisive goal against Cameroon in Abuja.
With the World Cup opportunity now gone, Okoronkwo pointed towards the 2028 Olympic qualification cycle as one of the next major objectives for the national team.
Nigeria’s failure to qualify for Brazil 2027 means the Super Falcons will have to regroup and use the coming international fixtures to begin building towards their next major tournament targets.
*The focus for the Super Falcons is now on rebuilding, learning from the WAFCON disappointment and preparing for the next cycle of international competition.*
