Super Falcons captain, Rasheedat Ajibade, has acknowledged that Nigeria must come to terms with the fact that they are “not invincible” after their 2-1 defeat to South Africa ended the team’s hopes of qualifying for the 2027 FIFA Women’s World Cup.
The defeat to Banyana Banyana came after Nigeria had already suffered a shock 1-0 quarter-final loss to Cameroon at the 2026 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations.
That result ended the Super Falcons’ hopes of reaching the WAFCON semi-finals for the first time in 14 editions and forced them into the continental playoff for a World Cup place.
However, Nigeria failed to seize the opportunity, with Thembi Kgatlana and Refiloe Jane scoring for South Africa. Christy Ucheibe’s late strike proved insufficient as Banyana Banyana secured a 2-1 victory.
The result means Nigeria will miss the FIFA Women’s World Cup for the first time since they began participating in the competition.
Ajibade, who played every minute of the Super Falcons’ campaign, admitted that the team has important lessons to take from the disappointing outcome.
”To be honest, my biggest lesson is just gratitude. We should be grateful,” Ajibade told Ademola Victor.
She continued, “We should learn not to be lax because the competition is fierce now. We must realize we’re not invincible; we just need to prepare more, get better, and demand more of ourselves individually and collectively.”
The Paris Saint-Germain midfielder stressed that Nigeria can no longer afford complacency as other African nations continue to close the gap.
Her comments come amid growing criticism of the Super Falcons following their disappointing WAFCON campaign and subsequent failure to secure a World Cup ticket.
For Ajibade, the setbacks should serve as a warning that Nigeria must improve its preparation, raise individual standards and work collectively to regain its position among Africa’s leading women’s football nations.
