Nigeria have qualified for the 2026 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations (WAFCON) following a 3-1 aggregate win over neighbours, Benin Republic.

The Super Falcons drew 1-1 with the Amazons of the Benin Republic in the second leg of the qualifier played on Tuesday in Abeokuta, Ogun State.

But a 0-2 victory in the reverse fixture in Lome, Togo, courtesy of goals from Esther Okoronkwo and Chinwendu Ihezuo, was enough to secure Nigeria’s ticket for the tournament with a 3-1 aggregate win.

Defender Ashleigh Plumptre headed in from a brilliant Okoronkwo corner to give Nigeria the lead at the MKO Abiola Stadium in Ogun. It was the Al-Ittihad star’s first goal for the Super Falcons since switching allegiance from England to Nigeria in 2017.

The visitors drew level in the 61st minute, thanks to a goal from Yasmine Djibril. However, it was too late for the Amazons to stage a fight back as Justin Madugu’s side kept the scoreline the same, booking their seat for the next WAFCON in the Maghreb nation of Morocco.

Nigeria won the last WAFCON after a heroic comeback against hosts Morocco. That trophy was a record-extending 10th title for the Super Falcons. They clinched it in 1998, 2000, 2002, 2004, 2006, 2010, 2014, 2016, and 2018.

Next year’s Women’s AFCON is set to take place between March 17 and April 3. The competition will also serve as the qualifier for the 2027 Women’s Wold Cup in Brazil.
Semi-finalists at the WAFCON are guaranteed automatic spots in the tournament. But two more teams can join the contingent via the intercontinental playoffs.

The Super Falcons have participated in all editions of the Women’s World Cup and reached the Round of 16 in 2023 before crashing out to eventual finalists England via penalties.

Arsenal took a giant step with a Champions League victory by blowing away Atletico Madrid 4-0 thanks to a devastating second-half broadside at the Emirates Stadium on Tuesday.

What had been a compelling clash with little between the sides became an Arsenal rout with goals by Gabriel, Gabriel Martinelli and a brace from Viktor Gyokeres leaving Diego Simeone’s side shell-shocked.

Shortly after Julian Alvarez hit the crossbar for the visitors, Gabriel broke the deadlock by heading in a Declan Rice free kick in the 57th minute.

Martinelli finished off a sweeping move seven minutes later and Gyokeres then prodded his first goal of the night via a deflection as Arsenal ran riot, the Swede ending a nine-game scoring drought for club and country. Gyokeres then bundled in his second as Atletico were again unable to deal with a set piece.

FIFA has thrown South Africa’s World Cup dream into turmoil after ruling that Bafana Bafana fielded an ineligible player in their March 21 clash against Lesotho.

The disciplinary committee announced on Monday that South Africa must forfeit the match, which they had originally won 2-0, awarding a 3-0 victory to Lesotho.

The punishment stems from the appearance of midfielder Teboho Mokoena, who should have been serving a one-match suspension after picking up two yellow cards earlier in the campaign.

By allowing him to play, the South African Football Association (SAFA) breached Article 19 of the FIFA Disciplinary Code as well as Article 14 of the 2026 World Cup preliminary competition regulations.

In addition to the forfeit, SAFA has been hit with a fine of 10,000 Swiss francs, while Mokoena has been issued with a formal warning.

The ruling is effective immediately, and South Africa’s points tally in Group C has now dropped from 17 to 14, leaving their qualification hopes hanging in the balance.

The impact on the standings is significant. South Africa had been clear leaders, but the deduction now places them level on points with Benin.

Nigeria and Rwanda, just three points behind, suddenly see their chances revived, with two decisive fixtures still to be played in the group. Lesotho, who are officially credited with a 3-0 win, also benefit from the ruling, though their prospects of qualifying remain slim.

SAFA has been given ten days to request a detailed, motivated decision from Fifa, which would later be published on the governing body’s legal website. The association also has the right to appeal the sanction before the FIFA Appeal Committee.

While SAFA has yet to issue a detailed response, officials previously played down the risk of disciplinary action, insisting they were focused on the remaining qualifiers. Rival coaches and observers, however, have already voiced frustration at the delay in delivering the ruling, with Benin coach Gernot Rohr describing the process as “very, very strange.”

For South Africa, the road to the 2026 World Cup is suddenly far more complicated, with little margin for error in their remaining fixtures.