WAFCON: Super Falcons battle Cameroon for World Cup ticket

The rivalry between Nigeria and Cameroon will be rekindled on Sunday this time in Morocco, as the Super Falcons confront the Indomitable Lionesses in the quarterfinal fixture of the 2026 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations (WAFCON).

Apart from the WAFCON semi-final ticket at stake, the winner of the grudge match will also book a place in the 2027 FIFA Women’s World Cup.

The ongoing 2026 WAFCON equally serves as the qualification for the global tournament scheduled to take place in Brazil next year.

Therefore, all the semi-finalists at Morocco 2026 will bag automatic tickets to the Brazil 2027 Women’s World Cup, while the losers will compete in play-in matches to determine the two African representatives in the inter-confederation play-offs.

Unarguably, the best of African women’s football would be staged on Sunday at the Larbi Zaouli Stadium, Casablanca, when perennial arch-rivals clash in the winner-takes-all affair.

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The rivalry between Nigeria and Cameroon in the WAFCON began at the inaugural edition of the competition in 1998 when the Super Falcons silenced the Lionesses 2-0 in the semi-final in Kaduna.

Nigeria have always dominated Cameroon in women’s football given the records of their past 15 meetings.

The Super Falcons recorded nine victories, while Cameroon had four wins as two friendly matches ended in a stalemate.

Earlier this year, both sides clashed twice in friendlies to prepare for the ongoing WAFCON.

While Cameroon won the first tie 1-0 on February 28, 2026, at the Military Stadium, Yaounde, courtesy of Mbomezomo Yvana’s 90th-minute goal; Nigeria, on March 3, 2026, avenged the defeat with a 3-1 win in the second game also played in Yaounde.

Given what is at stake, both sides can’t afford to lose at this stage of the tournament as it will cost them the World Cup ticket.

Having started with a shocking 2-3 loss to WAFCON debutants, the Scorchers of Malawi, the Super Falcons have rediscovered their form, which has put them in good stead to retain the title they won two years ago at the expense of hosts, Morocco’s Atlas Lionesses.

The defending champions finished second in their group behind Malawi following the application of the head-to-head rule, as all the teams except Egypt finished on six points each.

This time, the focus of Nigeria, which holds the enviable record of 10 African titles, is largely more on securing the World Cup ticket, according to the team’s handler, Justine Madugu.

Nigeria remains the only African nation, and one of the seven countries in total to have qualified for every FIFA Women’s World Cup since 1991 when the tournament was introduced.

“The next WAFCON will also serve as qualification for the 2027 FIFA Women’s World Cup, so our priority will first be to ensure that we make it to the World Cup.

“The second goal will be to defend the trophy and bring it back to Nigeria. We know it won’t be easy because as champions everybody will now be looking at us.

“We are holding something precious that everybody wants, but we will remain resolute and focused and try as much as possible to achieve both objectives,” Madugu, who coached Nigeria to win the last WAFCON, had told CAFonline prior to the opener against Malawi.

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