Super Falcons roar into WAFCON quarter-finals with 6-2 demolition of Egypt
Nigeria’s Super Falcons have secured a place in the quarter-finals of the 2026 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations after producing a dominant 6-2 victory over Egypt in their final Group C match on Wednesday.
The defending champions entered the encounter under pressure after a shock opening 3-2 defeat to tournament debutants Malawi and a narrow 1-0 win over Zambia, but they responded with an emphatic attacking display at the Rabat Olympic Stadium to keep their title defence alive.
Asisat Oshoala opened the scoring from the penalty spot in the 21st minute before Gift Monday doubled Nigeria’s lead in first-half stoppage time after a fine assist from Rinsola Babajide.
Egypt pulled one back through Nadine Ghazi’s penalty deep into added time, leaving Nigeria with a 2-1 advantage at the break.
The Super Falcons returned from the interval with renewed intensity, restoring their two-goal cushion in the 57th minute when Uchenna Kanu converted Babajide’s second assist of the game.
Christy Ucheibe extended Nigeria’s lead in the 81st minute with another penalty before Ghazi scored her second goal for Egypt three minutes later.
Rasheedat Ajibade then converted Nigeria’s third penalty of the night to make it 5-2 before setting up Joy Omewa, who completed the rout with the final goal in the ninth minute of stoppage time.
The result marked a remarkable turnaround for Justine Madugu’s side, who had revived their campaign after the early setback against Malawi by defeating Zambia before sealing qualification in style against Egypt.
Nigeria finished the group stage with six points from three matches and progressed to the knockout stage alongside Malawi, who topped Group C after beating Zambia 2-1 in the other final group fixture.
Malawi, Nigeria and Zambia all ended the group stage on six points, but Malawi claimed first place on the tiebreak criteria, while Zambia were eliminated. Egypt finished bottom of the group without a point after conceding 15 goals across three matches.
The Super Falcons will now await their quarter-final opponents as they continue their pursuit of a record-extending 11th WAFCON title in Morocco.
