How Nigeria became the benchmark in African women's football | OneFootball

Nigeria’s Super Falcons have long set the benchmark in African women’s football, with 10 titles from 13 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations editions and World Cup runs to the quarter-finals in 1999 and the last 16 in 2019 and 2023.

According to L'Équipe, on the eve of the first 2026 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations quarter-finals, Nigeria are clear favourites.

Their roots in the game run deep. Women played from the early 20th century despite a British colonial prohibition in the 1950s, and they kept playing.

The first clubs formed in 1970. In 1990 the game was formalised with a league, a national cup and a national team. That structure helped Nigeria reach the inaugural Women’s World Cup in 1991, then claim the first continental title in 1998.

Central to long-term success has been the Nigerian Women’s Football League, the continent’s first women’s league and among its most competitive. It has become a talent pipeline to leading European and American clubs.

Yet problems persist, including limited funding and instability. Players have often had to chase overdue bonuses, including state awards promised after their previous Women’s Africa Cup of Nations triumph, finally paid only at the start of this edition.

Meanwhile, rivals are closing the gap. Morocco, South Africa and Zambia are investing heavily in academies and domestic leagues, a push that could test Nigeria’s historic dominance.

Source: L'Équipe

“Artificial intelligence was used to assist in creating this article based on reporting from the original source quoted.”