‘This team gave everything’: Rasheedat Ajibade breaks silence after Super Falcons’ World Cup heartbreak

Super Falcons captain Rasheedat Ajibade has broken her silence following Nigeria’s painful failure to qualify for the 2027 FIFA Women’s World Cup, insisting that she and her teammates gave everything in their ultimately unsuccessful campaign at the 2026 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations in Morocco.

Nigeria’s hopes of extending their remarkable record of appearing at every Women’s World Cup came to an end last Thursday after the Super Falcons suffered a 2-1 defeat to South Africa in the CAF play-off.

The result brought an unprecedented setback for the 10-time African champions, who had never missed a World Cup since the tournament was first staged in 1991.

Nigeria had earned another opportunity to revive their qualification hopes after their earlier 1-0 quarter-final defeat to Cameroon.

That loss had already ended the Falcons’ extraordinary record of reaching at least the semi-finals at every previous WAFCON edition they had contested and confirmed their worst-ever finish in the competition.

The disappointment was particularly painful given Nigeria’s status as defending champions.

The Super Falcons arrived in Morocco having won the WAFCON 10 times, with their most recent title coming in 2025 when they produced a stunning comeback to beat hosts Morocco 3-2 in the final after falling two goals behind.

However, South Africa ended their World Cup hopes in the play-off.

Thembi Kgatlana broke the deadlock in the 56th minute before Banyana Banyana captain Refiloe Jane doubled their advantage in the 77th minute.

Nigeria responded late, but their effort was not enough to overturn the deficit and force another comeback.

Days after the heartbreaking defeat, Ajibade took to X on Sunday to address Nigerian supporters, acknowledging the magnitude of the disappointment while defending the commitment of the team.

“This is to every football-loving fan in Nigeria who has stood by the Super Falcons thus far,” Ajibade wrote.

“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.”

Despite the failure to achieve their primary objective, the captain insisted there was no shortage of effort from the players throughout the tournament.

“But I want to say this clearly: this team gave everything. Every training session, every match, every ounce of fight, nothing was held back,” she added.

“Sadly, sometimes the outcome doesn’t reflect the effort, and that’s football. It doesn’t make the disappointment less real, but it also doesn’t erase what this team is capable of.”

Rasheedat Ajibade
Credit: Rasheedat Ajibade on X

Ajibade also thanked her teammates and the coaching staff for their efforts throughout the tournament.

“To my teammates at WAFCON 2026, thank you for fighting to the very last minute, every single game.

“To our coaches and staff, who worked tirelessly behind the scenes, thank you 🙏🏽”

The Atletico Madrid midfielder reserved special appreciation for the supporters who continued to back the Falcons despite the difficult campaign.

“And to our fans, who never stopped believing, even when it got hard, we felt every bit of your support, and we’re sorry we couldn’t give you the ending you deserved,” she wrote.

While the World Cup disappointment remains fresh, Ajibade believes the setback can become the starting point for a rebuilding process.

“This isn’t the end of the Super Falcons’ story. We go back to work. We rebuild. We come back stronger, because that’s who we are,” she said.

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The captain also pointed towards the Olympics qualifiers as the next opportunity for redemption.

“We now look forward to the Olympics Qualifiers. We believe it is a chance for redemption and we will rebuild this trust you’ve got in us brick by brick with God on our side.”

Ajibade concluded by reiterating her gratitude to the fans and her faith despite the difficult circumstances.

“Thank you for standing with us. Always.

“It is all for the God’s glory and we will continue to thank him irrespective of the challenges and circumstances that surround us!

“Once again, Thank you and God bless us all.”

The defeat to South Africa means Nigeria will miss the FIFA Women’s World Cup for the first time since the competition began in 1991, bringing an end to the Super Falcons’ unprecedented record of appearing at every edition of the tournament.