Egypt seek miracle as Nigeria target WAFCON quarter-final place
By Joel Masibo, August 5, 2026Egypt will take on reigning champions Nigeria in their final Group C fixture of the 2026 CAF Women’s Africa Cup of Nations at the Rabat Olympic Stadium on Wednesday evening, August 5, 2026. The match kicks off at (8:00 p.m. GMT), with both teams still chasing a place in the knockout rounds.
Head-to-head
This will be only the second Women’s Africa Cup of Nations meeting between the two countries. Their first encounter came during the 1998 tournament, when Nigeria produced a dominant 6-0 victory.
That remains Egypt’s only WAFCON match against opponents from West Africa, while Nigeria will be facing North African opposition for the 10th time in the competition.
The Super Falcons boast an impressive record against teams from North Africa, winning six and drawing three of their previous nine matches. They have never suffered a defeat in normal time against a North African nation, with their only setback coming in the 2022 semi-finals when Morocco eliminated them in a penalty shootout after a 1-1 draw.
Nigeria have also recorded seven clean sheets in those nine matches, scoring 31 goals and conceding only three, all against Morocco. Their only scoreless games against North African sides came in group-stage draws with Tunisia in 2008 and Algeria in the previous edition.
Egypt’s uphill task
Egypt have endured a difficult tournament, losing both of their opening Group C matches. They began with a heavy 6-0 defeat to Zambia before falling 3-1 to Malawi.
It is the second time they have started a WAFCON campaign with back-to-back losses, having also suffered defeats in all three of their group games during the 1998 edition.
The Pharaohs have already conceded nine goals, their worst defensive record after two matches at the tournament. Six of those goals have come after the hour mark, highlighting their struggles late in games.
Egypt have never drawn a match at the Women’s Africa Cup of Nations and have lost their last three tournament fixtures since beating Zimbabwe 1-0 in the 2016 group stage, which remains their only victory in the competition.
A defeat against Nigeria would equal their second run of four consecutive WAFCON losses.
Their hopes of reaching the quarter-finals are extremely slim. Egypt must beat Nigeria, hope Zambia lose to Malawi, and overturn the head-to-head goal difference by winning with an extraordinary margin of at least 11 goals.
Eman Hassan ended Egypt’s scoring drought by finding the net against Malawi, with both of the team’s most recent tournament goals coming after the break.
History is also against them, as they have lost their final group match in each of their previous WAFCON appearances without scoring, suffering a 6-0 defeat to Nigeria in 1998 and a 5-0 loss to South Africa in 2016.
Against Malawi, Egypt managed five shots on target, their highest tally at this year’s tournament, while goalkeeper Maha Shehata produced seven saves after facing 10 efforts on goal.
Nigeria chasing another knockout appearance
Nigeria bounced back from a surprise 3-2 defeat to Malawi in their opening match by edging Zambia 1-0 in their second outing.
The victory also saw the Super Falcons keep their first clean sheet since their 5-0 quarter-final win over Zambia at the previous tournament.
Veteran striker Asisat Oshoala scored the decisive goal, taking her WAFCON tally to 15 goals. She has now found the net in five different editions of the competition and has scored against eight different nations, with Zambia the only side she has struck against in two separate tournaments.
Nigeria have won eight of the nine WAFCON matches in which Oshoala has scored, with the only exception being a 1-1 draw against Ghana in 2016.
Despite their rich history, Nigeria still have work to do to guarantee qualification. Failure to advance would mark the first time they have been eliminated in the group stage and also make them the first defending champions to exit the competition before the knockout rounds.
The Super Falcons have never lost their final group-stage match, recording 12 victories and one draw. Before the goalless draw with Algeria in the previous edition, they had won their last group fixture in 12 consecutive tournaments.
That stalemate with Algeria also remains the only time Nigeria have failed to score in their final group game.
On the two previous occasions they lost their opening match, in 2018 and 2022, Nigeria recovered by winning their remaining two group fixtures.
Midfielder Rasheedat Ajibade was among Nigeria’s standout performers against Zambia, winning every tackle she attempted and finishing the match with nine successful duels, more than any other player on the pitch.