Francisca Ordega and Osinachi Ohale could become the outright most decorated players in Women’s Africa Cup of Nations history if the Super Falcons successfully defend their title in Morocco.
The two Nigerian veterans have each won the competition five times, sharing the record with former Super Falcons stars Florence Ajayi and Perpetua Nkwocha.
Ordega and Ohale were members of Nigeria’s title-winning squads in 2010, 2014, 2016, 2018 and the delayed 2024 edition staged last year. Another triumph would take them to six titles and move them clear of every other player in the tournament’s history.
The Confederation of African Football identified the Nigerian pair among the leading candidates to rewrite the record books during the 14th edition of the competition.
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Both players were named in Justine Madugu’s 25-player squad for the tournament, giving them another opportunity to extend careers that have spanned more than a decade with the national team.
Ohale remains one of the most experienced defenders in African women’s football, while Ordega returned to the Super Falcons set-up ahead of the competition after a period away from the national team.
Their continental success began in South Africa in 2010. They subsequently helped Nigeria retain their dominance in 2014, 2016 and 2018 before contributing to the country’s 10th title at Morocco 2024.
The Super Falcons recovered from two goals down to defeat hosts Morocco 3–2 in the last final, restoring Nigeria to the top of African women’s football after South Africa won the 2022 edition.
Nigeria will now attempt to retain the trophy for the fifth time in their history and extend their overall record to 11 titles.
The defending champions will begin their Group C campaign against tournament debutants Malawi on July 28 before facing Zambia on August 1 and Egypt four days later. All three matches will be played in Rabat.
The top two teams in the group will advance to the quarter-finals, while reaching the semi-finals will secure automatic qualification for the 2027 FIFA Women’s World Cup in Brazil. CAF’s official fixtures show that the final will be played in Rabat on August 16.
Other WAFCON records under threat
Ordega and Ohale are not the only players who could rewrite WAFCON history in Morocco.
Cameroon captain Gabrielle Aboudi Onguéné could become the first player to feature at eight editions of the tournament, moving ahead of former Super Falcons captain Onome Ebi’s record of seven appearances.
Nigeria legend Perpetua Nkwocha’s record of 11 goals in a single edition, set in 2010, will also be under scrutiny. Tunisian forward Mariem Houij currently holds the fastest-goal record after scoring 17 seconds into a match against Togo in 2022.
The overall tournament scoring record could also fall following the expansion from 12 to 16 teams. The previous edition produced 66 goals, but the increased number of matches provides more opportunities for that mark to be surpassed.
For Ordega and Ohale, however, the calculation is straightforward: another Super Falcons triumph would deliver an unprecedented sixth WAFCON medal and secure their place alone at the top of the competition’s honours list.
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