Chiamaka Nnadozie, Nigeria’s first-choice goalkeeper, says the record winners of the tournament will not take the matches against Zambia, Malawi, and Egypt lightly.
The 10-time Women’s Africa Cup of Nations (WAFCON) winners are in Group C as they start their title defense against Malawi for the competition scheduled for 26th July – 16th August in Morocco.
Speaking to Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) media, Nnadozie revealed that the team is preparing to defend their title when the 14th Women Africa Cup of Nations finals begin in Morocco this month.
Nnadozie stated that the Super Falcons will take it one match at a time as they aim to defend the title as well as qualify for the 2027 FIFA Women’s World Cup.
“We will take it one match at a time because we cannot afford to stumble at any stage as a result of over-confidence. We will be focused squarely on the double targets of the FIFA World Cup ticket and retaining the trophy.
“It will not be easy” – Nnadozie.
“It is interesting to have more teams at the finals (16 now, up from 12). That will make the tournament more competitive, but we are calm and focused regardless of the number of teams in the finals.”
She said there is no easy group at this year’s competition.
“I don’t share the belief that any group is tougher than the others. Honestly, right now in Africa, there are no longer minnows. There will be a lot of surprises in this tournament“
“For us, we know what we are going for: the Cup and the World Cup ticket. It will not be easy, but we are the Super Falcons of Nigeria!”
Nigeria will meet Zambia for a third consecutive edition of the WAFCON. The last meeting ended 5-1 in favor of the West Africans at the quarterfinal stage.
In 2022, Zambia got its first ever win over the Super Falcons in a bronze medal playoff as the Copper Queens walked away with a 1-0 win.
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