Super Falcons Set for New Technical Crew Ahead of Olympic Qualifiers

By Dorcas Francis Koji

The Super Falcons are expected to have a new technical crew in place before resuming their 2028 Women’s Olympic qualifying campaign in October, National Sports Commission Director-General Bukola Olopade has revealed.

The development follows the Nigeria Football Federation’s decision on Monday to ask the technical crew led by coach Justine Madugu to step aside after the team’s disappointing campaign at the 2026 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations in Morocco.

Nigeria suffered their earliest-ever exit from the tournament after a 1-0 quarter-final defeat to Cameroon.

The result also ended the Falcons’ hopes of securing one of Africa’s automatic places at the 2027 FIFA Women’s World Cup, before a 2-1 defeat to South Africa in the CAF play-off confirmed their failure to qualify directly for the tournament.

Other members of the technical team affected by the decision include former Super Falcons goalkeeper Ann Chiejine, goalkeeper coach Auwal Makwalla, as well as Swedish coaches Igor Krulj and Per Karlsson, who served as video analyst and fitness coach respectively.

The NFF now faces the task of putting a new technical structure in place for the 10-time African champions, with the next major challenge already approaching.

Olopade said the NSC and NFF would consider restructuring the Falcons’ technical team ahead of their Olympic qualifying fixtures, stressing that Nigeria’s return to the Games remains a priority.

“The Olympics are around the corner, we will see how we can tweak the technical team of the Falcons like we did for the U-23, which coach Eric Chelle will handle. This is because we are desirous of qualifying for the Olympics,” Olopade said.

The Super Falcons returned to the women’s football tournament at the Paris 2024 Olympics after a 16-year absence but failed to progress beyond the group stage.

Their attention will now turn to the next phase of the Olympic qualifying campaign, with Nigeria scheduled to face Comoros in October.

Comoros advanced to the second round after an emphatic 30-0 aggregate victory over Sudan.

The Coelacanths began the rout with a 17-0 first-leg victory on June 3 before completing the demolition with another 13-0 win five days later.

With the Olympic qualifiers approaching, the NSC and NFF will now work to determine the Falcons’ new technical direction and ensure the team is adequately prepared for the crucial qualification campaign.

For Nigeria, securing qualification for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics will provide an opportunity to return to the global stage and rebuild confidence following a disappointing 2026 WAFCON campaign.