The Super Falcons of Nigeria, record 10-time winners of the Women’s Africa Cup of Nations (WAFCON), won’t come an inch closer to a record-extending 11th title after suffering a 1-0 quarterfinal defeat to Cameroon on Sunday, August 9.

The Super Falcons approached the game in Casablanca with head coach Justine Madugu making a a couple of changes to the starting XI that defeated Egypt 6-2, with Oluwatosin Demehin and Jennifer Echegini returning to the fold. Striker Gift Monday was also handed her first start of the competition, with veteran Asisat Oshoala dropped to the bench.

But no sooner had the game started than the Super Falcons began losing the physical battles against the Cameroonians, and it eventually led to the opener when fullback Michelle Alozie committed a needless foul in a dangerous position. The resulting free-kick was brilliantly dispatched by Myriam  Nyadjou in the 19th minute to give Cameroon a shock lead over the defending champions.

The Super Falcons took control from thereon, creating a flurry of chances that put the Cameroonians on the back foot. But whatever the Nigerians threw at goal somehow always ended up within the reach of the Cameroonian goalkeeper Michaely Bihina.

The wave of Nigerian attacks continued deep into the second half, but even with the introduction of more attacking firepower, the Cameroonian resistance refused to break. The Super Falcons were presented with a late chance to crawl back into the game, but substitute Esther Okoronkwo’s close-range effort, in a situation where a pass to Oshoala would most likely have resulted in a different outcome, was steered off target.

The defeat marks Nigeria’s worst-ever finish at the WAFCON and ends their hopes of securing direct qualification for the 2027 World Cup in Brazil. The 10-time champions will now have to take the Inter-Confederation route. But first, they’ll have to defeat South Africa’s Banyana Banyana later this week for a place in the Inter-Confederation playoffs