This article is part of the Guardian’s Women’s World Cup 2023 Experts’ Network, a cooperation between some of the best media organisations from the 32 countries who qualified. theguardian.com is running previews from two countries each day in the run-up to the tournament which kicks off on 20 July.
Overview
This tournament finds the Nigeria team in an unusually vulnerable state. Having lost the Women’s Africa Cup of Nations, a title they had previously monopolised for decades, the Super Falcons will arrive in Australia without their trademark aura.
Of course, 2022 was not the first time Nigeria have failed to win Wafcon. Twice they had been usurped by Equatorial Guinea but on both occasions it felt as if it was partly down to their own complacency. This time there is a real sense that the rest of Africa is catching up.
The Super Falcons lost to both South Africa and Morocco, the two teams who went on to contest a final in which the latter triumphed. They then lost to Zambia in the third-place playoff. Considering that backdrop, it seems entirely possible that the nine-time African champions will not be able to equal their achievement from the last World Cup, in 2019, when they reached the last 16. Their best ever performance at the tournament was back in 1999, when they got to the quarter-finals.
In addition, the perennial cloud of owed bonuses and administrative interference hangs over the Super Falcons once again. In a recent interview on the Sounding off on Soccer podcast, Randy Waldrum, the head coach, lifted the lid on the pressure he has faced over his final squad list and criticised the lack of preparation ahead of the World Cup.
“They wanted me to pick a goalkeeper from Nigeria for the World Cup that I have never seen, who has never been in one of our camps,” he said. He also revealed that the team shunned training ahead of their Wafcon defeat to Zambia on account of unpaid bonuses. In response, the Nigeria Football Federation described his outburst as an “afterthought” and directly criticised the inclusion of the keeper Yewande Balogun.
There is, however, some solace to be found in the fact that Waldrum has a squad brimming with talent, especially in the attacking areas. Barcelona’s Asisat Oshoala is at the peak of her powers and has just won the Champions League. She has a great support cast, including Atlético Madrid’s Rasheedat Ajibade and Saint-Étienne’s Esther Okoronkwo. There is also more depth in midfield, an area where Nigeria have struggled for options in the past. “I think the current Super Falcons squad is loaded with many talented players,” Waldrum said. “There are a lot of players who have much to offer in the team and I am reasonably excited and hopeful.”
The coach
Waldrum is a coach who splits opinion. Apart from the fact his CV seemed rather weak when he was appointed and he essentially works part-time, he also failed to win Wafcon last year, something that has been taken for granted in the past. To make matters worse, he managed to antagonise the Nigerian media by limiting access to the players during the tournament. In his defence, he is facing unprecedented challenges from the other African teams as women’s football on the continent is growing at a rapid pace and his job has not been made easier by the NFF still owing some salaries. So the jury is out on the former Trinidad and Tobago coach. Performances have slowly begun to improve but a poor showing at the World Cup will leave him with no place to hide.
Star player
Asisat Oshoala. Playing for a club of Barcelona’s stature, scoring as many goals as she does, being nominated for the Ballon d’Or and winning the African women’s player of the year award four times is a strong case to be the star player of any team. Oshoala’s speed, agility and eye for the spectacular means the Super Falcons often look to her for inspiration. That is not always a positive for the team as a whole, but it does challenge the other players to raise their level. A role model off the pitch, she has a foundation and academy for girls which aims to provide the sort of opportunities she was denied when growing up.
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Rising star
If there is one thing that Nigeria have lacked in recent times, it is a reliable, mobile link between midfield and attack. Ngozi Okobi has fulfilled the role in previous years but now Deborah Abiodun has the potential to carry the team’s creative burden for many years to come. A part of the squad for the 2022 Under-20 World Cup, Abiodun interprets the role with a unique flair, drifting into pockets of space in the channels to combine with teammates and take the ball into the final third. If trusted, the 19-year-old could prove a real revelation.
Did you know?
If Onome Ebi steps on to the pitch in Australia or New Zealand, she will play at her sixth World Cup, taking her past the Japan legend Homare Sawa and keeping her level with Marta, who is also expected to play at this tournament. That would leave only the Brazilian Formiga ahead of them. Ebi, now 40, already has the African record.
Despite bringing tremendous success to Nigeria, women’s football gets the short end of the stick from a financial perspective. It is very well followed, especially during major international tournaments, but its growth remains hindered by a number of factors with societal stigma and poor administration and organisation most prominent among them. The domestic league often fails to kick off on schedule, clubs are inadequately funded and there is a lack of infrastructure and general expertise.
Realistic aim at the World Cup?
Four matches is the most Nigeria have played at a World Cup and they are faced with a difficult group featuring the co-hosts, Australia, and the reigning Olympic champions, Canada. If they are to progress, they will need to go into their final group match against Ireland with something already on the board. Prediction: group-stage exit.
Written by Solace Chukwu for Pulse Sports.
