Defending champions Nigeria’s Super Falcons suffered a shocking 3-2 defeat to tournament debutants Malawi in their opening match of the 2026 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations (WAFCON) on Tuesday night in Morocco.
The nine-time African champions produced an uncharacteristically poor performance, struggling to find their rhythm throughout the contest and paying dearly for a lack of cohesion.
Nigeria endured a frustrating first half, failing to break down the resilient Malawian defence or create meaningful scoring opportunities. The Falcons also struggled to string together accurate passes, leaving them far below their usual standards.
The second half offered little improvement, with Malawi continuing to threaten. Goalkeeper Chiamaka Nnadozie was called into action on several occasions, while Osinachi Ohale and Oluwatosin Demehin made crucial defensive interventions to keep Nigeria in the game.
Malawi eventually made their dominance count, scoring twice in quick succession in the 79th and 81st minutes to stun the defending champions and record one of the biggest upsets of the tournament.
Nigeria pulled one back through captain Rasheedat Ajibade from the penalty spot, but Malawi restored their two-goal advantage almost immediately after a costly error by Nnadozie gifted them a third goal.
Uchenna Kanu scored late to reduce the deficit, but the Super Falcons were unable to complete a comeback as Malawi secured a famous 3-2 victory.
