WAFCON 2026: Justin Madugu identifies key areas for improvement after Super Falcons beat Senegal

Super Falcons head coach Justin Madugu has insisted that Nigeria's women's national team must continue to improve ahead of the 2026 Women's Africa Cup of Nations (WAFCON), despite securing a hard-fought 2-1 victory over Senegal in a friendly match.

The ten-time African champions delivered an encouraging first-half display at the Remo Stars Sports Complex in Ikenne, Ogun State, taking control of the contest through goals from Asisat Oshoala and Toni Payne.

Oshoala opened the scoring from the penalty spot before Payne doubled Nigeria's advantage, giving the hosts a comfortable lead heading into the break.

However, Senegal responded strongly in the second half and reduced the deficit late on through Sokhna Nogaye, setting up a nervy finish.

Although pleased with the result, Madugu admitted that the performance exposed areas that still require attention before the team heads to Morocco for the continental showpiece.

The coach explained that the primary objective of the friendly was not only to secure victory but also to evaluate players, test tactical approaches, and assess the team's overall readiness for the tournament.

According to Madugu, the technical crew is using the preparatory matches to identify players capable of making meaningful contributions during WAFCON while also fine-tuning strategies for tougher opposition.

“It’s a good result, and naturally, when you play any game, you always want to win. This is a preparatory game, and the aim is to assess our readiness, test the strategies we want to execute in the competition, and give players the opportunity to showcase what they can do to provide us with more options.

“These are the matches we use to identify which players are fully ready for the WAFCON. It was not a bad game for us, but as you know, there is always room for improvement. Yes, we did well, but we know there is still a lot of work to be done,” Madugu told official54fx.

The Super Falcons will have another opportunity to build momentum when they face Senegal again in the second game of the international friendly series on Monday.