South Africa defeated Nigeria’s Super Falcons 2-1 in Thursday’s 2027 FIFA Women’s World Cup play-in clash, ending the nine-time African champions’ hopes of reaching the global tournament, reports Nigeriasoccernet.com.
The defeat means Nigeria will miss the FIFA Women’s World Cup for the first time since making their debut at the inaugural edition in 1991, bringing an end to a remarkable streak of eight consecutive appearances.
The Super Falcons had been given another route to qualification after their quarter-final defeat to Cameroon at the 2026 WAFCON, but they were unable to overcome Banyana Banyana in Casablanca.
Nigeria’s failure to qualify represents a major setback for the most successful team in the history of the Women’s Africa Cup of Nations, who have featured at every Women’s World Cup since 1991.
For South Africa, the victory keeps their hopes of reaching the 2027 World Cup alive as they advance in the qualification process.