Former Super Eagles head coach Augustine Eguavoen has been named interim head coach of the Super Falcons for their October 2028 Olympic Games qualifiers versus Comoros.
This comes after Justin Madugu and his technical crew were fired last month.
The Nigeria Football Federation confirmed the appointment in a statement on Tuesday, stating that the move was temporary while the hunt for a permanent coach for the women’s senior national team continued.
“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.
Madugu and his technical staff were ordered to resign on August 17, just days after Nigeria’s dismal performance at the 2026 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations and consequent failure to qualify for the 2027 FIFA Women’s World Cup.
The Falcons, who entered the WAFCON as defending champions, were defeated 1-0 by Cameroon in the quarterfinals before falling 2-1 to South Africa in the World Cup qualification play-off.
Nigeria’s streak of competing in every Women’s World Cup since 1991 came to an end with the defeat.
As the Olympic qualification campaign approaches, the NFF has resorted to Eguavoen on an interim basis while looking for a permanent replacement for Madugu.
Eguavoen, also known as ‘Cerezo,’ will be accompanied by Nasarawa Amazons head coach Christopher Danjuma, while Olatunji Baruwa, a former Super Eagles goalie trainer, will serve as goalkeeper trainer.
Former Super Falcons defender Ayisat Yusuf has also been named one of the assistant coaches.
Eguavoen has managed Nigeria at the senior international level, leading the Super Eagles to bronze medals at the 2006 Africa Cup of Nations in Egypt.
Danjuma has also worked with Nigeria’s women’s national teams, leading the Falconets to the 2024 FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup in Costa Rica.
Yusuf gained 68 caps for Nigeria during her playing career, including appearances in four Women’s Africa Cup of Nations competitions, three FIFA Women’s World Cups, and the 2008 Beijing Olympics.
The Super Falcons will face the Comoros at the Remo Stars Stadium in Ikenne-Remo on October 9 and 13, with both legs taking place in Nigeria.
Nigeria gained a bye into the second round as one of the top three teams in the qualifying campaign, while the Comoros advanced after defeating Sudan 30-0 on aggregate.
The Super Falcons must go through four rounds of two-legged knockout matches to clinch one of Africa’s two Olympic places in Los Angeles in 2028.
If Nigeria defeats the Comoros, they will face either the Democratic Republic of the Congo or Morocco in the third round, which is slated for February 23 to March 6, 2027.
The fourth round is scheduled for October 4–12, 2027, with the final round taking place from November 23 to December 4, 2027.
