South Africa, Nigeria in anti-climax decider
South Africa and Nigeria are two of the only three nations to ever win the Women’s Africa Cup of Nations since the tournament’s inception in 1998.
Banyana Banyana, who were winners in 2022 and the Super Falcons of Nigeria - the most decorated team in African Football, find themselves on the fringes of the TotalEnergies CAF Women’s Africa Cup of Nations 2026 in Morocco after the quarterfinals.
In an unprecedented turn of events, the two teams tread unchartered territory where they must now fight for a single slot amongst themselves to keep their hopes for qualification to the FIFA Women’s World Cup 2027 in Brazil alive.
Nigeria lifted the WAFCON title a record 10 times in 13 editions and qualified for every single World Cup since the inaugural edition in 1991. South Africa, on the other hand, made their World Cup debut in 2019 in France before heading down under for the 2023 edition in Australia and New Zealand. The latter are seeking a third straight qualification – an achievement in itself.
When they lineup at the Moulay Rachid Stadium on Thursday at 21h00, it will be their own version of a final – a matchup that could have more repercussions than a World Cup slot.
A rivalry built over the years between South Africa and Nigeria not just on the pitch but also beyond the musical contest that is amapiano versus afrobeats.
Dawn of a new era
Both the South Africa head coach Dr Desiree Ellis and Nigerian tactician Justine Madugu admitted that there is a momentus change in African Women’s Football.
“Obviously, we would have preferred to be playing in the semifinals but the disappointment of losing the last game is going to drive us to get a positive result. It is one of us not going further. It is a big game for us. The players know this. We have to do what we have to do. We just have to execute our plans and make sure that we win,” Ellis explains with an optimistic tone.
Her counterpart Madugu highlights the same, “You will realize, everyone is investing so much to make sure that they improve. The reality should dawn on us. We must do a lot to ensure that we not only remain where we are but try and keep improving. In the past, it used to be Brazil. When last did Brazil win any tournament? Now, it is Spain. At some point, it was Germany.”
“These are things that we need to realize - that nothing is permanent. Even in women’s football, it used to be USA then Sweden then the momentum shifted to Japan and South Korea, because people are developing. We cannot be in isolation. To make sure that we develop. We need to look at ourselves, a lot of areas to make sure that we get it right. You cannot expect people to work magic.”
No margin for error
Both teams know what it feels like to lineup at the World Cup. They were at the last edition and three summers ago, they felt untouchable down under. Nigeria needed maximum points against hosts Australia in their second group stage encounter following a goalless draw against eventual semifinalists Canada and they delivered a resounding 3-2 win.
For South Africa who lost 2-1 to Sweden in their opener before settling for a 2-2 draw with Argentina and needed three points in their last tie against Italy and still got it come into this fixture with tournament experience at the highest level.
But neither want to go into their past success. Thursday’s matchup offers a fresh opportunity to regain the trust of their fans back home, who have been left crestfallen.
“This is a crucial game for us as a team. We came here to qualify for the World Cup. We would have loved to do so with the first opporunity. Now, we have another opportunity. Our focus is on the next match,” South Africa’s captain Refiloe Jane explains.
Nigerian captain Rasheedat Ajibade did not also mince her words when asked about the importance of this match. She says, “This happened to us but that is in the past for us. The players want to be at the World Cup. We are going to put our best. We cannot be complacent.
“We have experience coming back from setbacks. We have competed against the best. We know that we are a very good team. We have the capacity to pull ourselves together. We just have to do the right thing and move forward.”
The Stat of the Day
This will be the 13th meeting between South Africa and Nigeria at the Women’s Africa Cup of Nations. The sides have won the last five WAFCON titles between them. Nigeria were champions in 2014, 2016, 2018 and 2024 while South Africa lifted the trophy in 2022.