By Enitan Abdultawab

Super Falcons captain Rasheedat Ajibade has highlighted the lessons Nigeria must take from its disappointing campaign at the 2026 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations and subsequent failure to qualify for the 2027 FIFA Women’s World Cup.

Nigeria’s World Cup hopes were ended on Thursday after the Super Falcons suffered a 2-1 defeat to South Africa in the inter-confederation playoff.

The defeat came just days after Nigeria crashed out of the WAFCON in the quarter-finals following a 1-0 loss to Cameroon, marking the first time the country failed to reach the semi-finals in the history of the competition.

Against South Africa, goals from Thembi Kgatlana and Refiloe Jane put Banyana Banyana in control before Christy Ucheibe pulled one back for Nigeria. The late effort, however, was not enough to save the Falcons from defeat.

Reacting to the setback, Ajibade said the team must use the experience as an opportunity to reflect, improve and prepare better for future competitions.

“To be honest, my biggest lesson is just gratitude. We should be grateful,” Ajibade said.

The captain also warned that Nigeria could no longer afford to approach matches with complacency, given the growing competitiveness of women’s football in Africa.

“We should learn not to be lax because the competition is fierce now. We must realise we’re not invincible; we just need to prepare more, get better, and demand more of ourselves individually and collectively,” she said.

Ajibade played every minute of Nigeria’s campaign in Morocco but struggled, alongside several of her teammates, to influence the decisive knockout matches against Cameroon and South Africa.

The loss to Banyana Banyana brought an end to Nigeria’s record of appearing at every edition of the FIFA Women’s World Cup since the competition began in 1991.

For Ajibade, however, the painful outcome provides an opportunity for the team to reassess its approach, with greater preparation, consistency and collective responsibility needed going forward.