Eguavoen to lead Super Falcons as interim coach for LA 2028

Augustine Eguavoen, former head coach of the Super Eagles, led Nigeria’s Senior Women’s National Team, the Super Falcons, in an interim capacity for the 2028 Olympic Games qualifying fixtures against Comoros in October 2026. This appointment occurred as the Nigeria Football Federation continued its search for a permanent head coach.

Eguavoen, widely known as ‘Cerezo,’ brought extensive experience to the role, having previously managed at the highest international levels. Notably, he guided the Super Eagles to a bronze medal finish at the 2006 Africa Cup of Nations in Egypt. Assisting Eguavoen was Christopher Danjuma, who served as the head coach of Nasarawa Amazons in the Nigeria Women’s Football League. Danjuma also had significant experience with Nigerian women’s teams, including leading the Falconets at the 2024 FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup in Costa Rica.

Olatunji Baruwa, a former goalkeeper trainer for the Super Eagles, was appointed as the goalkeeper coach. Baruwa's background included work with multiple Nigerian national teams, such as the Super Eagles, CHAN Eagles, Flying Eagles, and Golden Eaglets. Additionally, Ayisat Yusuf, a former Super Falcons defender, was named one of the assistant coaches. Yusuf represented Nigeria internationally, earning 68 caps and competing in four Women’s Africa Cup of Nations tournaments, three FIFA Women’s World Cups, and the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing.

The Super Falcons began their Olympic qualifying campaign in the second round against Comoros. Both legs of the tie were scheduled to take place at the Remo Stars Stadium in Ikenne-Remo on October 9 and 13, 2026. The Super Falcons received a bye to this round due to their status as one of the three highest-ranked teams in the qualification process. Comoros advanced by defeating Sudan with a 30-0 aggregate score.

To secure one of Africa’s two available spots at the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic Games, Nigeria aimed to navigate four rounds of two-legged knockout ties. If the Super Falcons overcame Comoros, they would advance to the third round, scheduled for February 23 to March 6, 2027, potentially facing either the Democratic Republic of Congo or Morocco. Progressing to the fourth round would see Nigeria compete against either Tunisia, Senegal, Benin Republic, or Mali between October 4 and 12, 2027. The final round of the qualifying race was set for November 23 to December 4, 2027, where the Super Falcons could encounter Guinea, Cameroon, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Côte d’Ivoire, Central African Republic, Algeria, or Burkina Faso.