Nigeria forward Esther Okoronkwo has pinned the Super Falcons shock loss to Malawi in the 2026 CAF Women’s Africa Cup of Nations (WAFCON) on having a flat start to the game.
She said this in an interview after the defending champions lost 3-2 to minnows Malawi in their opening game in this year’s competition.
The big loss complicates Nigeria’s path to qualification to the next round of the competition as the Super Falcons are set to take on big rivals Zambia on Saturday, August 1 after Zambia hammered Egypt 6-0.
Reflecting on the loss to Malawi, Okoronkwo promised that Nigeria would perform better in their subsequent games in the tournament.
“I think [the] next game we have to come back better than we did in this game. We kind of came out a little flat but it is what it is.”
FULL-TIME! 🇳🇬🇲🇼
Malawi get their first-ever win. #TotalEnergiesWAFCON2026 pic.twitter.com/GiWOkjnjZj
— CAF Women Football (@CAFwomen) July 28, 2026
“We are going to go back…learn where we should fix and then come back better in the next game. Next game is going to be better for sure” Okonkwo said.
Welcome to the Chawinga sister act. ⚽️🇲🇼#TotalEnergiesWAFCON2026 pic.twitter.com/KkrRPODwaP
— CAF Women Football (@CAFwomen) July 28, 2026
Nigeria need to make it to the semifinals to qualify to the 2027 FIFA Women’s World Cup in Brazil.
