Nigeria’s Super Falcons still have a chance to qualify for the 2027 FIFA Women’s World Cup in Brazil despite their quarter-final defeat to Cameroon at the 2026 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations (WAFCON).

The 10-time African champions suffered a 1-0 defeat to the Indomitable Lionesses on Sunday after conceding an early goal, missing out on one of Africa’s four automatic tickets to next year’s global showpiece.

However, the defeat has not ended Nigeria’s World Cup hopes, although the Super Falcons must now take a more difficult route to Brazil.

Nigeria will join the other three WAFCON quarter-final losers — South Africa, Ghana and Côte d’Ivoire — in the continental play-offs, where two World Cup qualification tickets will be available.

The Super Falcons will face South Africa on Thursday in their first play-off match, with victory earning Nigeria one of the two continental tickets.

The two teams that emerge from the continental play-offs will then advance to the global play-off tournament, where they will compete against teams from other confederations for the remaining places at the 2027 World Cup.

According to FIFA, the first phase of the global play-off tournament will be held in November and December 2026 at a centralised venue.

The tournament will feature six teams — two from the Asian Football Confederation (AFC), two from the Confederation of African Football (CAF), one from the South American Football Confederation (CONMEBOL) and one from the Oceania Football Confederation (OFC).

The teams will be ranked according to the latest FIFA/Coca-Cola Women’s World Ranking before the draw. Two teams will progress from this phase to the final play-off stage.

The final phase is scheduled for February 2027 and will feature the two qualifiers from the first phase alongside two teams from Concacaf, one from CONMEBOL and one from UEFA.

The six teams will be divided into three pathways, with each pathway producing one World Cup qualifier through a direct knockout match.

FIFA has also stated that teams from the same confederation will not be drawn in the same pathway.

Only three teams will ultimately emerge from the global play-offs to claim the remaining World Cup places, making the route considerably tougher for the Super Falcons.

For Nigeria, the immediate task is therefore to defeat South Africa on Thursday and keep the World Cup dream alive.

The Super Falcons have qualified for every edition of the Women’s World Cup since the tournament was launched in 1991. Maintaining that unbroken record will now require them to negotiate both the continental and global play-off stages.

At the 2023 Women’s World Cup, Nigeria reached the Round of 16 before losing to eventual finalists England on penalties.

With their automatic qualification hopes gone, the Super Falcons now face a longer and more demanding path to Brazil — one that leaves little room for another mistake.