The Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) has removed Super Falcons head coach Justine Madugu and other members of the team’s technical crew from their positions following Nigeria’s failure to qualify for the 2027 FIFA Women’s World Cup.
The NFF announced the decision on Monday, directing the entire technical crew to step down with immediate effect.
The move follows the Super Falcons’ 1-0 defeat to South Africa in the continental playoff on August 13, a result that ended Nigeria’s hopes of reaching the next edition of the Women’s World Cup.
The setback marks the first time Nigeria will fail to appear at the Women’s World Cup since the competition began in 1991.
Nigeria’s qualification campaign had already suffered a major setback at the 2026 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations (WAFCON), where the Falcons lost to Cameroon in the quarter-finals and subsequently missed out on one of the four automatic qualification places.
Madugu came under increasing criticism during the tournament, particularly over his team selection and tactical decisions.
His dismissal comes less than a year after he guided the Falcons to their record-extending 10th WAFCON title, making the latest development a major turnaround in his tenure.
Following the team’s failure to qualify for the World Cup, the NFF has also set up a six-member committee to investigate the circumstances surrounding the Falcons’ poor performance and their failure to secure a place at the global tournament.
Former NFF General Secretary Fanny Amun will chair the committee.
The panel also includes former Flying Eagles coach Ladan Bosso, ex-Super Falcons captain Desire Oparanozie, former Super Eagles midfielder Mutiu Adepoju and former referee Alex Mana.
Nasiru Sa’idu, chairman of the Sokoto State Football Association, has been appointed secretary of the committee.
The NFF said the committee’s findings are expected to help establish what went wrong during the team’s campaign and inform the federation’s next steps concerning the future of the Super Falcons.
