Eguavoen Appointed Interim Head Coach For Super Falcons Ahead Of Olympic Qualifiers

Augustine Eguavoen, a former head coach of the Super Eagles, has been named interim head coach of the Super Falcons for their October 2028 Olympic Games qualifying matches against Comoros.

This comes after Justin Madugu and his technical team were fired last month.

The appointment was temporary, according to a statement released by the Nigeria Football Federation on Tuesday, as the search for a permanent coach for the women’s senior national team is still ongoing.

“Former Super Eagles head coach Augustine Eguavoen will lead Nigeria’s Senior Women’s National Team, the Super Falcons, on an interim basis for their 2028 Olympic Games qualifying fixtures against Comoros in October, as the search for a substantive head coach for the team continues,” the statement read

Christopher Danjuma, the head coach of the Nasarawa Amazons in the Nigeria Women’s Football League, will support Eguavoen. Danjuma has led the Falconets at the 2024 FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup in Costa Rica as part of her vast experience with Nigeria’s women’s national teams.

Olatunji Baruwa, a former goalkeeper trainer for the Super Eagles, will take on this role. The Super Eagles, CHAN Eagles, Flying Eagles, and Golden Eaglets are just a few of the Nigerian national teams that Baruwa has worked with.

Ayisat Yusuf, a former coach and defender for the Super Falcons, will also be an assistant coach.

Yusuf participated in four Women’s Africa Cup of Nations competitions, three FIFA Women’s World Cups, and the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games while earning 68 caps for Nigeria.

The 10-time African champions will play Comoros in the second round of their Olympic qualifying campaign. Both legs are set for October 9 and 13 at the Remo Stars Stadium in Ikenne-Remo.

As one of the top three teams in the qualifying competition, the Super Falcons were granted a bye into the second round. Comoros advanced after a 30-0 aggregate victory over Sudan.

The Super Falcons will play either Morocco or the Democratic Republic of the Congo in the third round, which is set for February 23–March 6, 2027, if they defeat Comoros.

Nigeria would play either Tunisia, Senegal, Benin Republic, or Mali between October 4 and 12, 2027, if they advanced to the fourth round.

The qualifying race’s final round is set for November 23–December 4, 2027. At that point, Nigeria might have to contend with Guinea, Cameroon, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Côte d’Ivoire, the Central African Republic, Algeria, or Burkina Faso.

Congratulations to Eguavoen on his well-deserved appointment as the interim head coach of the Super Falcons. His experience, leadership, and passion for the game will undoubtedly inspire the team to new heights as they pursue their Olympic dreams. Wishing him the best of luck in this exciting challenge ahead!