Nigeria Misses Women's World Cup for First Time; South Africa and Ghana Advance

Nigeria's Super Falcons have failed to qualify for the 2027 Women's World Cup, marking the first time the nation will miss the tournament since its inception. The 10-time and reigning WAFCON champions lost a crucial playoff match 2-1 to South Africa on Thursday night in Rabat, a game they needed to win to reach the FIFA inter-confederation playoffs. Nigeria had already been eliminated from the continental tournament last week, and the defeat to South Africa sealed their absence from the global event.

South Africa and Ghana both won their play-offs to progress to an inter-confederation qualifier for the 2027 Women's World Cup. The results mean Nigeria will not compete in the tournament for the first time in its history, a significant setback for one of Africa's traditional women's football powers. The inter-confederation playoffs are scheduled to begin later this year, with South Africa and Ghana now representing the continent in the next stage of qualification.