Chiamaka Nnadozie outlines Super Falcons target at WAFCON

Nigeria women national team goalkeeper Chiamaka Nnadozie has revealed their target when they return to defend the 2026 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations (WAFCON).

While uncertainty is still surrounding the host nation for the WAFCON, the Brighton & Hove Albion custodian has prioritized securing qualification for the Fifa Women’s World Cup ahead of defending the title.

The 16th edition of the WAFCON is scheduled to be hosted by Morocco for the third consecutive tournament, becoming the first country to achieve this feat. Venues in Casablanca, Fez and Rabat will be used for the tournament.

Despite originally being planned to be a 12-team tournament, CAF decided to expand the tournament to 16 teams after qualification ended. Qualification took place between February and October 2025 to decide who qualified, while hosts Morocco qualified automatically.

‘Mission is to qualify for the World Cup’

“First of all, I would say the girls have been communicating. We have a group chat where we have been discussing everything,” Nnadozie said to AYSuga Channel.

“It’s just something we want to take one step at a time. We don’t want to think about the semifinals, quarterfinals or the final. The mission is to qualify for the World Cup.”

She added: “I believe in the girls. I know every team wants to beat Nigeria. We’ve been Africa’s best for a very long time. Every team wants to be there, they want to be in that number one spot, but it’s not going to be easy. Anybody who wants to be there has to work hard for it.

Nigeria are the defending champions

“All the teams are growing. Imagine Nigeria drawing against Algeria in the group stage, that shows you how tough the competition is and how all the teams have improved.

“We are not aiming for the trophy for now. Personally, the goal is to qualify for the World Cup. We don’t want to put pressure on ourselves, let’s just qualify, get the ticket for the World Cup and whatever happens, happens.

“I believe in the team, I believe in the girls, and I hope when we get there, we can make changes.”

Nigeria are the defending champions after beating Morocco 3-2 in the 2024 final in Rabat. In Morocco, they have been drawn alongside Zambia, Egypt and Malawi.