Nigeria have set their sights on winning a first Olympic women's football gold medal, as the Super Falcons attempt to recover from the disappointment of their dismal Women's Africa Cup of Nations campaign, and their failure to qualify for next year's FIFA Women's World Cup.
Interim coach Augustine Eguavoen told reporters after the team's 7-0 aggregate win over Comoros that the players and technical staff had made 2028 Olympic gold their next major objective.
"The first meeting we had, we collectively agreed that we put the WAFCON disappointment they had behind and set our eyes on a gold medal at the Olympics," Eguavoen said.
Although he acknowledged that it would be a tough ask: "It is easier said than done."
The ambition follows a difficult period for Africa's most successful women's national team, who surrendered their continental title after a quarterfinal defeat to Cameroon at the 2026 WAFCON in Morocco.
The elimination also ended Nigeria's hopes of qualifying automatically for the 2027 Women's World Cup through the tournament, and they lost their second chance, via a playoff, to South Africa a few days later.
Nigeria have won a record 10 African titles but have never won an Olympic football medal. Their best performance came at the 2004 Athens Games, where they reached the quarterfinals.
After the 2008 edition, they went out in the wilderness but returned to the Olympics in Paris in 2024 after a 16-year absence, only to be eliminated in the group stage.
Nigeria are expected to name a permanent coach for the team in the coming weeks, but Eguavoen, who also serves as the NFF's technical director, acknowledged that winning Olympic gold would require sustained improvement, regardless of who eventually takes charge of the team permanently.
"We agreed, whether I am coach or not, as I am still part of the team as technical director, that it has to be a gradual process," he said. "Super Falcons are still the number one team in Africa."
The former Super Eagles coach was appointed on an interim basis following the departure of Justin Madugu and his technical staff after Nigeria's disappointing WAFCON campaign.
Despite the recent setbacks, Eguavoen believes Nigeria have sufficient quality to compete against the world's leading teams, although he expects opponents to continue raising their performances against the former African champions, including Morocco, whom they face next in the third round of qualifying.
"This is about the ten time African champions, and anybody that plays against the Super Falcons tend to raise the game," he said.
""So, going forward, we expect to meet tougher opposition, no doubt about that. Because Super Falcons is number one in Africa and remains number one. We have the quality, we have the personnel and we have the support."
Central to Eguavoen's plans is an expansion of the national team's player pool, with the technical director targeting approximately 50 players across different positions to increase competition for places.
That competition is already evident, especially with many of the current players hitting their thirties. Of the 28 players invited for the two matches against Comoros, several were unable to get playing time, and Eguavoen admitted that this was expected.
He then said that those who did not get on the field would be given opportunities during the next international window in November, when Nigeria hope to schedule some friendlies. "We invited 28 different players, and we ended up with 27," Eguavoen said. "And most of them didn't get a feel of the game, both games.
"The intention was to bring them in, but we didn't get a chance. I've spoken to those ones who didn't get involved in these two games that we will make it mandatory whether I am coach or not, they will have to come and get a chance in November.
"I explained to them and they understand. I don't owe them an explanation for the sake of it, but being a professional, I think sometimes it is good, so that we understand ourselves and we are on the same page."
Eguavoen cited Blessing Okpe, who was the breakout star of the second leg, as an example of the importance of giving players opportunities to demonstrate their ability, saying the coaching staff would have learned less about the player without that chance.
However, he acknowledged the pressure of balancing experimentation with results, particularly after Nigeria's recent failures: "If Okpe wasn't given a chance today, we won't know that she is such a good player.
"But then, we have to be a little bit mindful, because you lose one game, people start saying all sorts of things. We will make sure we have a solid team, and see how we can give everyone opportunity. So we have a pool of players to choose from."
The longer-term objective, he added, is to establish enough depth to allow the national team coach to select from a wider group of players rather than rely on a relatively small core.
"We want to have a pool of players, about 50, all in different positions, then it is easier for a coach to pick his best players," Eguavoen said.
"Which is a very big headache, a good headache."