BLACK SUNDAY for Nigerian football! ... And in Basketball too

BLACK SUNDAY for Nigerian football!

... And Basketball too

.Super Falcons to meet South Africa in World Cup play off

.F/Eagles bundled out of U-20 AFCON

.Côte d'Ivoire beat Nigeria in 2026 U-18 AfroBasket Boys in Abidjan

It was a bad day for Nigerian football as two of the country's national teams were knocked out yesterday in two important African tournaments.

Defending Champions, Super Falcons finally surrendered their hold on African Women Nations Cup (WAFCON) after losing in the quarter finals to Cameroon 1-0.

The Super Falcons started the game with high hopes and threatened the Indomitable Lionesses in the first minutes only to surrender the tempo to the Cameroonians as Yvana Mbomezomo's freekick in the 19th minute sailed into the net, securing a 1–0 victory for the Indomitable Lionesses.

The result means that Justine Madugu’s ladies will not defend the title they won against Morocco at the last WAFCON.

Nigeria will now play South Africa on Thursday in Casablanca, with a place in the Inter-Confederation playoff tournament at stake. Before last night, Nigeria have not failed to qualify for the Women’s World Cup since it was founded in 1991.

The four WAFCON quarter-finalists who fail to reach the semi-finals will play against each other in CAF’s playoff fixtures.

The winners of those fixtures will advance to the global FIFA Play-Off Tournament, where they will face teams from other continents for a place at the 2027 FIFA Women’s World Cup.

In the WAFU B U-20 AFCON qualification in Cote d'Ivoire, the Flying Eagles also lost to Burkina Faso 4-1 in the final.

As things stand, Nigeria wil miss out on qualification for the next U-20 AFCON and, consequently, the next FIFA U-20 World Cup.

How Super Falcons can still qualify for World Cup

Intercontinental Play-Off Tournament

.10 teams total: 2 each from Africa, Asia, CONCACAF, CONMEBOL + 1 from Oceania + 1 from Europe

.Phase 1: Nov–Dec 2026. The 2 African teams play here

.Phase 2: Feb 2027. Winners from Phase 1 join higher-ranked teams

.Phase 3: final World Cup spots up for grabs

In the 2026 U-18 AfroBasket Boys in Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire, Nigeria lost to host Côte d'Ivoire 77 to 68.