For the first time in the history of the tournament, Nigeria have failed to make it to the last four, after losing 1-0 to Cameroon in the semifinal of the 2026 Women Africa Cup of Nations.
It is only the second time the Indomitable Lionesses have beaten the Super Falcons at the tournament. The only other time was the bronze medal game of the 2012 tournament.
Myriam Nyadjou struck a thunderous freekick past a badly-positioned Chiamaka Nnadozie to give Cameroon the lead after just 11 minutes. It was a lead they would hang on to despite Nigeria creating a plethora of opportunities.
Cameroon's win means that a first-time champion will be crowned at WAFCON, with South Africa also eliminated in the second quarterfinal on Saturday, and Equatorial Guinea not qualifying at all.
With the defeat, Nigeria also lose out on automatic qualification for the FIFA Women's World Cup in Brazil next year, and will now have to play South Africa on Wednesday for a place in the FIFA intercontinental playoffs.
Nigeria coach Justin Madugu made four changes to his starting line-up, restoring Tosin Demehin and Jennifer Echegini to the team after they served out their suspensions. Monday Gift and Rinsola Babajide were rewarded for sterling outings against Egypt.
And it was the Super Falcons who served early warning of intent when Rasheedat Ajibade forced a strong save from Michaely Bihina within the opening minute.
That was to prove a portend of what was to come for the rest of the game, as it turned into a Michaely against Nigeria for the most part, with the Benfica goalkeeper denying Nigeria again and again.
Despite Nigeria's dominance, it was Cameroon who went in front through a combination of carelessness, fortune and another goalkeeping error from Nnadozie. Echegini needlessly gave a freekick away some 20 yards from goal.
The rest of the game was Cameroon playing a defensive masterclass against the Super Falcons, smothering Monday, Ajibade and even Okoronkwo when she came on, even though she looked well off her best.
Substitute Uchenna Kanu had opportunities to draw Nigeria level, but was foiled by Bihina. And well into injury time, Okoronkwo had the best chance to level the game.
Through on goal, and with fellow substitute Oshoala to the left of her and free for a simple tap in, she went for glory, The ball dribbled just past the upright and Oshoala was left raging in frustration.
Nnadozie errors cost Super Falcons again
This has been a nightmare tournament for Nnadozie, who has looked far from her best. She started the competition by letting in three goals against Malawi, recovered against Zambia but looked shaky against Egypt and has now allowed the Cameroon goal.
For context, Cameroon created nothing before the goal, and precious little after. That freekick was their only real shot on target and should have been an easy save for Nnadozie, if she was in the right position.
But she was not. Having set up her wall, the goalkeeper appeared to have zoned out for a second or two, It was all Nyadjou needed to rifle the freekick straight into the net.
While the real Nnadozie remains one of the best keepers around, she may need a time out to get herself back to form. Comfort Erhabor proved during the friendlies that she could be an able deputy.
The Super Falcons face South Africa next in the World Cup playoffs, and another error by the Brighton & Hove stopper could well and truly bury Nigeria.
The left-back issue
Nigeria either need to find a left-back in a hurry, or develop the two in the squad to the level they need to be.
The Michelle Alozie experiment at left back has run its course. It is simply not working. Worse, it is reducing her effectiveness in the area where she is strong at, which is down the right side.
To start with she is not a defender, she was a striker converted by former coach Randy Waldrum to right back. But Madugu, with Glory Ogbonna and Rofiat Imuran available to him, does not appear to trust either of them enough to play them in their natural positions.
Shukurat Oladipo, who has filled in at right back when Alozie has been shunted the other way, is a natural centreback, with the instincts and skillset that come with it.
When the Super Falcons needed a fullback to run down the line and support the wide forwards, Oladipo was making clearances, many of which ended up outside the lines for a throw in to Cameroon.
Alozie, for her part, was largely ineffective driving down the left side or finding crosses, and tended to pinch into the middle, leaving the team unbalanced.
No lucky chances to help them
The Super Falcons may have lost, and may not have looked their usual imperious selves from previous tournaments, but for the most part, this was a much better performance than they have had this entire tournament.
They moved the ball better, played with physicality, won tackles and second balls and generally spent most of the game in Cameroon territory.
Their biggest issue came down to finding the right ideas to create chances, and put away the few decent ones they had. On far too many occasions, they snatched at balls when they needed to keep their heads and find the extra pass. And in moments when a quick release was needed, players tried to do too much.
In the end, the poor decision-making in the final third was their undoing. That and excellent defending by Cameroon, who continuously forced them into making those bad decisions over and over again.
A long road to Brazil
Having failed to qualify directly for the World Cup, the Super Falcons have now given themselves a long road to travel if they are to make it to Brazil next year.
To start with, they now have to put the sour taste of this defeat behind them and turn their attentions to another old rival, South Africa, in a game they have to win to keep their World Cup hopes alive.
If they do win it, there are at least three more games to play to get to Brazil. First, they go into a preliminary round six-team group play with the other CAF team, along with two teams from Asia, and one each from South America and Oceania. These games take place in November through December.
Only the top two teams from that pool make it to the final round, where they will be joined by four other teams who received a bye: two from CONCACAF, one from Europe and one from South America.
The format will be single knockout games to determine the three last teams that will make it to the World Cup. The top three teams based on FIFA rankings will be drawn on one side, and the other three teams would be drawn against them.
In both rounds, teams from the same confederation cannot be drawn into the same pathway. These games are scheduled for February 2027.