As Nigeria’s Super Falcons gear up to face Tunisia in their opening match of the 2024 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations (WAFCON), head coach Justin Madugu has dismissed suggestions of an easy group, insisting every team deserves full respect.
Nigeria begin their campaign for a record-extending 10th WAFCON title—dubbed Mission X—on Sunday at 5:00 p.m. Nigerian time at the Larbi Zaouli Stadium in Casablanca.
Madugu: “We Respect All Our Opponents”
Speaking during the official pre-match press conference on Saturday, Madugu said:
“Well, everybody is entitled to his opinion.
For me—or for us, rather, as a team—we have respect for all the teams that have qualified.”
”You need to show them that respect. They have all gone through the qualifiers.”
”They did very well and that’s why they are here.”
“If you count the number of countries in Africa, everybody is not here.”
”So for them to have gotten here, you need to show them that respect and treat them as people that have done something well.”
The coach cautioned that underestimating teams based on reputation or past achievements could backfire:
“There are no minimums as far as football is concerned in Africa any longer. You can’t consider anybody a minimum.”
“Looking at the results that were posted in the course of the qualifiers, I think we wouldn’t consider anyone to be a weak team.”
“Yes, some teams could be stronger than others, but they cannot be considered weak teams because they also went through the qualifiers, won their matches, and that’s why they are here.”
Madugu explained that world rankings or perceived strength are irrelevant once the match begins:
“Yes, ratings sometimes do not actually give you a true reflection of what a team can present.”
”So if you get carried away by the rating and you think, ‘No, this one is rated so,’ you could be surprised on the matchday.”
“It is what happens on the matchday that really matters. So for us, there are no easy teams.”
“We respect Botswana, we respect Algeria, we respect Tunisia.”
”And we’ll carry on and treat them with that respect as we approach each of our games.”
North African Growth Praised
Madugu also acknowledged the improvement of women’s football in North Africa and across the continent:
“Like you rightly observed, we have played games against North African countries in the past.”
“We quite appreciate the development, particularly of women’s football across Africa.”
”There has been tremendous improvement as far as the standard and development of the game is concerned.”
“And that goes across all the countries in Africa—North Africa inclusive. That is a good development for the game.”
On Sunday’s clash against Tunisia, Madugu said:
“Talking about the game against Tunisia or the North African teams we’ll be playing against in this tournament, I have said earlier, we have respect for all the teams.
“We are not taking anybody for granted on the assumption that we have won all the previous games against them and so we think it’s going to be easy.”
“No games will be easy games. We’ll approach them with all the seriousness they deserve and all the respect that all the teams deserve.”
“We are prepared for the game against Tunisia tomorrow—just as we equally know, they too are prepared against us.”
“So the game tomorrow (today) will decide what happens.”
Nigeria vs Tunisia: Head-to-Head Record
| Total Matches | Nigeria Wins | Tunisia Wins | Draws |
|---|---|---|---|
| 7 | 1 | 0 | 6 |
Although unbeaten, Nigeria have only one win in seven meetings against the North Africans.
Official Squad Numbers – Super Falcons (WAFCON 2024)
The Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) has officially issued the Super Falcons’ jersey numbers for the 2024 CAF Women’s Africa Cup of Nations (WAFCON) in Morocco:
| No. | Player | Position | Club |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Tochukwu Oluehi | GK | Shualat Alsharqia (SAU) |
| 2 | Omorinsola Babajide | FW | Costa Adeje Tenerife (ESP) |
| 3 | Osinachi Ohale | DF | Pachuca (MEX) |
| 4 | Shukurat Oladipo | DF | AS Roma (ITA) |
| 5 | Ashleigh Plumptre | DF | Al‑Ittihad (SAU) |
| 6 | Esther Okoronkwo | FW | AFC Toronto (CAN) |
| 7 | Toni Payne | MF | Everton (ENG) |
| 8 | Asisat Oshoala | FW | Bay FC (USA) |
| 9 | Ifeoma Onumonu | FW | Montpellier (FRA) |
| 10 | Christy Ucheibe | MF | SL Benfica (POR) |
| 11 | Sikiratu Isah | DF | Nasarawa Amazons |
| 12 | Jennifer Echegini | MF | Paris Saint‑Germain (FRA) |
| 13 | Deborah Abiodun | MF | Dallas Trinity (USA) |
| 14 | Oluwatosin Demehin | DF | Galatasaray (TUR) |
| 15 | Rasheedat Ajibade (c) | MF | Free agent (ex Atlético Madrid) |
| 16 | Chiamaka Nnadozie | GK | Free agent (ex Paris FC) |
| 17 | Francisca Ordega | FW | Al‑Ittihad (SAU) |
| 18 | Halimatu Ayinde | MF | Rosenborg (SWE) |
| 19 | Chinwendu Ihezuo | FW | Pachuca (MEX) |
| 20 | Folashade Ijamilusi | FW | Liaoning Baiye (CHN) |
| 21 | Miracle Usani | DF | Edo Queens |
| 22 | Michelle Alozie | DF | Houston Dash (USA) |
| 23 | Rachael Unachukwu | GK | Nasarawa Amazons |
| 24 | Chioma Okafor | FW | University of Connecticut (USA) |
Nigeria will also face Algeria and Botswana in Group B.
Only the top two teams and the best two third-placed finishers from the three groups will advance to the quarter-finals.
