2026 Women’s AFCON Race: Super Falcons Camp Swells, as Injury Knocks Out Echegini

Super Falcons midfielder JENNIFER ECHEGINI has been ruled of the two qualifying matches against Benin Republic, ahead of the 2026 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations. ECHEGINI suffered a hamstring injury on Monday night while playing for her club, Paris Saint Germain of France. It was ECHEGINI who scored Nigeria’s winning goal in this year’s Women AFCON Final match against hosts Morocco in Rabat. She will miss Friday’s first leg of the final qualifying fixture at the Stade de Kégué in the Togolese capital, as well as the return leg at the MKO Abiola Sports Complex on Tuesday. However, reports from the Falcons’ camp in Lome, Togo, indicate that the team’s Head Coach JUSTINE MADUGU remains upbeat about Nigeria’s chances against Bénin Republic when they meet on Friday. Captain RASHEEDAT AJIBADE, who also plays for PSG in France, is among players who were expected to arrive in Lomé on Tuesday night. Others are Mexico-based duo of defender OSINACHI OHALE and forward CHINWENDU IHEZUO, USA-based duo of defender Michelle Alozie and midfielder DEBORAH ABIODUN; Canada-based forward ESTHER OKORONKWO; and Italy-based defender SHUKURAT OLADIPO. As at nightfall on Monday, the Falcons’ camp swelled from nine players to eleven, with the arrivals of Portugal-based midfielder CHRISTY UCHEIBE and goalkeeper CHIAMAKA NNADOZIE, while Saudi Arabia-based defender ASHLEY PLUMPTRE jetted into Lomé on Tuesday afternoon.