Super Falcons beat Comoros 5-0 to set up Olympic qualifier against Morocco

Updated 10:28 WAT, 16 Oct 2026: The NFF says a scan showed that captain Rasheedat Ajibade fractured her ankle and that she is due to have surgery in Paris on Friday, 16 October.

Updated 21:21 WAT, 14 Oct 2026: Nigeria beat Comoros 5-0 in the return leg to go through 7-0 on aggregate and set up a third-round tie against Morocco.

The Super Falcons beat Comoros 5-0 to reach the third round of Olympic qualifying, winning the tie 7-0 on aggregate at Remo Stars Stadium in Ikenne, Ogun State, on Tuesday, 13 October 2026, Premium Times and Complete Sports reported. They will now face Morocco.

Toni Payne and Uchenna Kanu scored twice each and Christy Ucheibe added a penalty. But captain Rasheedat Ajibade was forced off in the first half after a collision with a Comoros defender, and interim head coach Augustine Eguavoen said she was being taken to hospital for an MRI scan, according to Premium Times and The Guardian. The Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) has since said the scan showed a fracture to her ankle, Vanguard and Blueprint reported.

Why it matters

The win takes Nigeria into the third round of Africa’s qualifying series for the women’s football tournament at the Los Angeles 2028 Olympics. The series has five two-legged knockout rounds, and only two African teams will qualify, Morocco World News reported.

Nigeria returned to the Olympics at Paris 2024 after a 16-year absence and are chasing back-to-back appearances, Premium Times and Complete Sports reported.

Morocco reached the third round without playing after Congo withdrew its women’s team from qualifying, Morocco World News reported. The third-round matches are scheduled for 23 February to 6 March 2027.

How did Nigeria win?

Payne opened the scoring in the 41st minute and Nigeria led 1-0 at half-time, Premium Times reported. Kanu set up the goal by pressing the Comoros goalkeeper into an error, having already hit the crossbar twice, according to Complete Sports and AllNigeriaSoccer.

The second half was one-way traffic. Kanu headed in a cross from Folashade Ijamilusi, who had replaced Ajibade, shortly before the hour. Payne made it 3-0 in the 63rd minute from a pass by substitute Blessing Okpe, and Kanu headed a fourth from another Ijamilusi cross three minutes later, Premium Times reported. Ucheibe then scored from the penalty spot after Okpe was fouled in the box.

Nigeria kept clean sheets in both legs, and Ijamilusi and Okpe each provided two assists off the bench, Premium Times reported.

What did Eguavoen say?

“The game today, I’m very pleased. I’m very, very happy. Congratulations to the girls; they made my day,” Eguavoen said at his post-match press conference, according to Premium Times.

He said Comoros had improved since the first leg: “I’m 100 per cent sure that they knew today they had nothing to lose, so they had to play.”

He praised Okpe, who joined the squad late after another player pulled out. “I think she has proven that her late call-up was worth it,” he said, Premium Times reported.

On Ajibade, Eguavoen said he had not yet heard a diagnosis. “I was with the medical team, and they said they are taking her to a hospital for an MRI,” he said, according to Premium Times. He said the medical team would give an update and that he hoped the injury was minor, Premium Times and The Guardian reported.

Before the game, Kanu had set a bigger target than qualification. “Our goal isn’t just to make it to the Olympics, but to look at the trophy,” she said, according to Premium Times.

How did the first leg go?

Michelle Alozie scored in the 48th minute and Kanu added a second on the hour on Friday, 9 October, Premium Times and Sports247 reported. Nigeria hit the woodwork several times in a goalless first half.

Comoros were the designated home side, but both legs were played in Ikenne because Comoros do not have a stadium approved by the Confederation of African Football (CAF), ThisDay and Complete Sports reported.

Asisat Oshoala, Ashleigh Plumptre and Oluwatosin Demehin missed the first leg, The Guardian reported, and Afrik-Foot listed all three as unavailable for the return leg.

What happens next

Nigeria will face Morocco over two legs in the third round, scheduled for 23 February to 6 March 2027, with a place in the fourth round at stake, Morocco World News reported.

The more immediate concern is Ajibade’s fitness. “The MRI showed that she suffered a fracture on her ankle and she saw a surgeon here immediately after,” Ademola Olajire, the NFF’s head of communications, told ESPN, according to Vanguard and Blueprint. He said she would have surgery in Paris on Friday, and TVC News reported that the operation was set for Friday, 16 October, in France.

Vanguard and Blueprint, citing ESPN, reported that Ajibade is expected to be out for at least three months. Olajire said further details would follow after the operation and an assessment by the medical team at her club, Paris Saint-Germain, Vanguard reported.

In a WhatsApp status message, Ajibade said: “I’m fine and doing well. I’ll be back stronger, for good and for God’s greater glory,” according to Vanguard and Blueprint.

Eguavoen is in charge on an interim basis. “Next game, hopefully, I am here,” he said, adding that if he did not continue in the job he would return to his office, according to Premium Times.