AJIBADE
Super Falcons captain Rasheedat Ajibade has delivered an emotional message to Nigerians following the team’s failure to qualify for the Women’s World Cup for the first time in their history.
The forward acknowledged the pain and disappointment surrounding the setback, accepting personal responsibility while insisting that the players will not allow the result to define the future of the national team.
Nigeria’s hopes of maintaining their remarkable record of appearing at every edition of the Women’s World Cup came to an end after losing to South Africa in the Africa play-off.
In an emotional statement addressed to the fans, Ajibade admitted that there was no way to disguise the significance of Nigeria’s failure to reach the tournament.
“This one hurts. There’s no way around that. We didn’t get the result we wanted, and for the first time, we won’t be at the World Cup. I carry that. I take it personally, and I know every member of this team does, too,” the captain wrote.
Despite the outcome, the Super Falcons captain was keen to highlight the commitment shown by her teammates throughout WAFCON 2026.
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According to Ajibade, the players gave everything they had in their attempt to deliver success for Nigeria.
“This team gave everything. Every training session, every match, every ounce of fight, nothing was held back. Sadly, sometimes the outcome doesn’t reflect the effort, and that’s football,” she said.
