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Analysis: The factors that led to Nigeria’s earliest-ever WAFCON exit

What caused the Super Falcons' disastrous WAFCON performance?

Neel Shelat's avatar
Neel Shelat
Aug 12, 2026
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Asisat Oshoala celebrates scoring in Nigeria’s 1-0 win over Zambia in the group stage of WAFCON 2026. Credit: Confederation of African Football

Nothing short of the title would have been enough for ten-time WAFCON champions Nigeria, but an exit in the first knockout round is particularly surprising. Worse yet, it also puts them at risk of missing the Wo…

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A guest post by
Neel Shelat
Devotee of the religion of football | Freelance journalist & analyst featured on Al Jazeera, Forbes.com, FourFourTwo, Analytics FC, FotMob, World Soccer, The Blizzard, SCOUTED, The Transfer Flow, FootballTransfers, Between The Posts, Gløry & more
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