Reigning African champions and 10 time Women’s Africa Cup of Nations (WAFCON) winners, the Super Falcons, resumed training on Sunday at the MKO Abiola Sports Arena in Abeokuta. The session comes ahead of Tuesday’s return leg of their final qualifying match for the 2026 WAFCON against the Benin Republic.
After spending nearly a week in Lome, Togo where they won the first leg the Falcons returned to Nigeria on Saturday through Lagos’ Murtala Muhammed International Airport before heading to Abeokuta to continue preparations.
Coach Justin Madugu’s side go into the home fixture with a 2-0 advantage, thanks to goals from Chinwendu Ihezuo and Esther Okoronkwo in last Friday’s match in Lome. Midfielder Deborah Abiodun played a starring role, providing two assists in the away win.
The team will hold another training session on Monday as they aim to seal qualification for Morocco 2026 and defend their continental crown. The Falcons lifted their record-extending 10th WAFCON title in Morocco in July, coming from two goals down to defeat the hosts 3-2 in a dramatic final.
The Confederation of African Football (CAF) has appointed Dominique Rosa Hanjavola of Madagascar as referee for Tuesday’s encounter, assisted by Claris Simango of Zimbabwe and Hasimbola Rasoloniaina of Madagascar. Grace Gimo, also from Zimbabwe, will serve as fourth official. Ghana’s Christine Ziga will act as match commissioner, while Senegal’s Ndeye Fatou Seye will be the referee assessor.
As the race for the 14th WAFCON intensifies, several teams are also edging closer to qualification. Zambia defeated Namibia 4-2 away in Windhoek, Ghana beat Egypt 3-0 in Cairo, and Mali earned a 1-0 win over Cape Verde in Praia.
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Elsewhere, Angola and Malawi played out a goalless draw in Luanda, as did Senegal and Ivory Coast in Dakar. Kenya secured a 3-1 victory over The Gambia in Nairobi, while Algeria edged Cameroon 2-1. Burkina Faso and Tanzania hold 2-0 first-leg leads over Togo and Ethiopia, respectively, while South Africa’s Banyana Banyana earned a 1-1 draw away to the Democratic Republic of Congo.
