‘We will bounce back’ – Rinsola Babajide pleads with Nigerians after Super Falcons’ painful WAFCON exit

Super Falcons forward Rinsola Babajide has admitted that Nigeria’s failure to qualify for the 2027 FIFA Women’s World Cup has left the team heartbroken, but insists the players are determined to bounce back and rebuild ahead of their next challenge.

Nigeria endured a hugely disappointing campaign at the 2026 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations (WAFCON), exiting at the quarter-final stage before subsequently losing their final World Cup qualification opportunity to South Africa.

For Babajide, the disappointment is particularly painful because of what representing Nigeria at major international tournaments means to the players.

The forward took to X to share an emotional message following Nigeria’s disappointing campaign, acknowledging the pain of missing out on the World Cup.

“Heartbroken to say the least. It really hurts to miss out on a World Cup spot, but grateful for the opportunity to represent my country at yet another WAFCON,” Babajide wrote.

She admitted that the tournament had not gone according to expectations.

She added, “Unfortunately, it didn’t go the way we’d have liked it to have gone. We might be down right now but we’ll definitely bounce back, the only way we know how to, the Naija way!”

Rather than dwell on the disappointment, Babajide believes the team must now turn its attention to the future.

“Time to reset, reflect & work ahead towards the Olympic qualifiers.”