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Nigeria thrash Egypt to seal place in WAFCON 2026 quarter-finals
06th August, 2026 07:05 AM
Nigeria produced a dominant display to defeat Egypt 6-2 and secure a place in the quarter-finals of the 2026 TotalEnergies CAF Women’s Africa Cup of Nations after an entertaining Group C finale at the Rabat Olympic Stadium on Wednesday night, August 5, 2026.
The reigning champions entered the decisive fixture under pressure after suffering a surprise defeat to Malawi in their opening game before edging Zambia 1-0. Needing a win to guarantee progression, the Super Falcons responded with an emphatic attacking performance, netting three goals in each half to advance alongside Malawi.
Asisat Oshoala handed Nigeria the lead from the penalty spot in the 21st minute before Gift Monday doubled the advantage during first-half stoppage time after being picked out by Rinsola Babajide.
Egypt reduced the deficit moments before the break when Nadine Ghazi converted a penalty, but Nigeria took complete control after the interval. Uchenna Kanu, Christy Ucheibe, Rasheedat Ajibade and Joy Omewa all found the back of the net to complete the rout. Ghazi grabbed Egypt’s second goal late in the match, but the Cleopatras still finished the tournament without a single point.
Super Falcons rise to the occasion
Nigeria knew only victory would keep their title defence on track after a difficult start to the competition.
Oshoala, who had already scored the winner against Zambia, once again stepped up when she calmly converted from the penalty spot to put her side ahead.
Egypt tried to respond, but Nigeria’s superior attacking quality became evident as the first half progressed. Babajide provided the assist for Monday, who doubled the lead in added time.
The Egyptians were thrown a lifeline when Ghazi converted from the spot deep into stoppage time, sending the teams into halftime with Nigeria leading 2-1.
Nigeria dominate after restart
The Super Falcons wasted little time restoring their two-goal cushion.
Babajide registered her second assist of the evening by setting up Kanu in the 57th minute, making it 3-1 and putting Nigeria firmly in control.
Nigeria continued to press forward and were awarded another penalty, which Ucheibe successfully converted in the 81st minute.
Although Ghazi scored again three minutes later after being assisted by Yasmin Hassanin, Egypt’s hopes of mounting a comeback were short-lived.
Emphatic victory
Nigeria capped off a memorable night with two more goals in stoppage time.
Ajibade confidently converted another penalty to make it 5-2 before turning provider late on with a pass that allowed Omewa to score Nigeria’s sixth goal.
The convincing victory ensured the defending champions avoided an early exit and carried valuable momentum into the knockout rounds after recovering from their opening defeat with consecutive wins.
Malawi finish top as Zambia bow out
Elsewhere in Group C, Malawi defeated Zambia 2-1 to finish top of the standings.
Malawi, Nigeria and Zambia all ended the group stage with six points, but Malawi claimed first place through the tournament’s tiebreak rules. Nigeria also progressed to the last eight, while Zambia were eliminated despite recording two victories in three matches.
Egypt ended their campaign at the bottom of the group after losing all three fixtures and conceding 15 goals.
For Nigeria, the emphatic result provides renewed confidence ahead of the quarter-finals as the Super Falcons continue their quest to retain the continental title.
