The Nigeria Football Federation has relieved Justine Madugu of his position as head coach of the Super Falcons, alongside members of his technical crew, following the team’s failure to qualify for the 2027 FIFA Women’s World Cup.
The federation announced the decision on Monday through a statement posted on its official X account.
“The Executive Committee of the Nigeria Football Federation has asked members of the technical crew of the Super Falcons to step down with immediate effect,” the post reads.
The decision comes four days after the Falcons suffered a defeat to South Africa in the continental playoff, ending their hopes of featuring at the 2027 World Cup.
The setback marked a historic low for Nigeria’s senior women’s national team, as the Falcons will miss the global tournament for the first time since the competition was launched in 1991.
Their World Cup hopes had already suffered a major blow at the 2026 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations, where they lost to Cameroon in the quarter-finals and consequently failed to secure one of the four automatic qualification slots.
Madugu, 62, came under growing criticism during the tournament, particularly over his squad selections and tactical decisions.
His dismissal comes less than a year after he guided the Falcons to their 10th continental title.
In the wake of the disappointing campaign, the NFF also constituted a six-member fact-finding committee to investigate the circumstances surrounding the team’s failure to qualify for the World Cup.
Former NFF general secretary, Fanny Amun will chair the committee, while former Flying Eagles coach Ladan Bosso, ex-Super Falcons captain Desire Oparanozie, former Super Eagles midfielder Mutiu Adepoju and former referee Alex Mana are members.
Nasiru Sa’idu, chairman of the Sokoto State Football Association, will serve as the committee’s secretary.
