Augustine Eguavoen has been appointed as the new interim head coach of the Super Falcons, with the former Super Eagles manager handed the task of guiding Nigeria through the upcoming 2028 Olympic qualifiers.
The appointment was confirmed by the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) on Tuesday, with Eguavoen set to lead the Falcons after the departure of former head coach Justin Madugu.
Eguavoen will be assisted by Christopher Danjuma, the current head coach of Nigeria Women’s Football League (NWFL) side Nasarawa Amazon, and former Super Falcons defender Ayisat Yusuf Aromire.
Former Super Eagles goalkeeper trainer Olatunji Baruwa will serve as goalkeeper trainer. Baruwa has worked with several of Nigeria’s national teams, including the Super Eagles, CHAN Eagles, Flying Eagles and Golden Eaglets.
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Nigeria will host the first leg of the Olympics qualifiers at the Remo Stars Stadium on October 9 before facing the East African side at the same venue on October 13, with qualification for the next stage firmly in the sights of the ten-time African champions.
Nigeria will navigate four rounds of two-legged knockout ties to secure one of Africa’s two available places at the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic Games.
If Nigeria overcome Comoros, they will progress to the third round, scheduled for February 23 to March 6, 2027, where either DR Congo or Morocco will await them.
Progress to the fourth round will see the Falcons face one of Tunisia, Senegal, Benin Republic or Mali between October 4 and 12, 2027.
The final round of the qualifying race will hold from November 23 to December 4, 2027, with Nigeria set to face one of Guinea, Cameroon, DR Congo, Ivory Coast, Central African Republic, Algeria and Burkina Faso.
Eguavoen’s appointment comes after a disappointing WAFCON campaign in Morocco, where Nigeria suffered a shock 3-2 defeat to debutants Malawi in their opening Group C match. The Falcons responded with a 1-0 victory over Zambia and a commanding 6-2 win against Egypt to reach the quarter-finals.
However, their campaign ended in the quarter-finals after a 1-0 defeat to Cameroon, marking the first time Nigeria failed to reach the WAFCON semi-finals. The setback was followed by further disappointment as the Falcons subsequently missed out on qualification for the 2027 FIFA Women’s World Cup after losing their playoff clash against South Africa.
Eguavoen arrives with considerable experience in Nigerian national-team football. The former Nigeria captain first took charge of the Super Eagles in 2005 and guided the team to a bronze medal at the 2006 Africa Cup of Nations in Egypt, where Nigeria defeated Senegal in the third-place playoff.
He returned as caretaker coach in 2010 following Lars Lagerbäck’s departure and later took charge of the Nigeria U-23 side, with the team ultimately failing to qualify for the 2012 Olympic Games.
Eguavoen was appointed interim Super Eagles coach again in December 2021 following the departure of Gernot Rohr. He led Nigeria at the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations, where the team reached the round of 16 before suffering a 1-0 defeat to Tunisia.
He was subsequently handed interim responsibility of the Super Eagles again in 2024, making the Super Falcons his latest national-team assignment.
With the Olympics qualification campaign now providing an opportunity for a fresh start, Eguavoen will be expected to restore confidence within the Falcons and steer the team past Comoros.
The October double-header will therefore represent the first major test of his interim tenure and an opportunity for Nigeria to begin rebuilding after a turbulent period for the women’s national team.
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