Super Falcons midfielder Christy Ucheibe has expressed deep disappointment over Nigeria’s failure to secure automatic qualification for the 2027 FIFA Women’s World Cup after the defending champions were eliminated from the 2026 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations (WAFCON) by Cameroon.
Nigeria suffered a 1-0 quarter-final defeat to the Indomitable Lionesses in Casablanca on Sunday, bringing an end to the Super Falcons’ hopes of defending their continental crown and securing one of the four automatic World Cup tickets available through the WAFCON semi-finals.
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Ucheibe acknowledged that the Super Falcons gave their best against Cameroon but admitted that their efforts were not enough on the night.
«”We gave everything we had, but unfortunately it wasn’t enough. There is no excuse. We are very disappointed because we wanted to go further and qualify automatically for the World Cup,” Ucheibe said.»
The Benfica midfielder apologised to Nigerians for the disappointing result and the team’s failure to reach the last four.
«”We are sorry to Nigerians that we couldn’t advance in the competition. We know how much the country expects from us, and we feel that disappointment as well,” she added.»
Despite the setback, Ucheibe stressed that Nigeria’s World Cup hopes remain alive. FIFA’s qualification format provides a second route for the four teams eliminated in the WAFCON quarter-finals, with the losing quarter-finalists entering CAF play-off matches for the two places allocated to Africa in the FIFA Women’s World Cup Play-Off Tournament.
The Super Falcons will therefore turn their attention to the CAF play-off against South Africa on Thursday, August 13, with victory sending Nigeria into the inter-confederation play-off pathway for a final opportunity to qualify for the 2027 World Cup in Brazil.
Ucheibe believes the squad must quickly put the disappointment behind them and concentrate fully on the opportunity that remains.
«”We have to move on now. The World Cup is still our target, and we have to fight for that opportunity in the play-offs,” she said.»
With Nigeria’s continental title defence over, the Super Falcons now face another high-stakes encounter against South Africa, where a victory will keep their hopes of maintaining their remarkable record of appearing at every FIFA Women’s World Cup alive.
