The NFF has turned to former Super Eagles boss Augustine Eguavoen to lead the Super Falcons on an interim basis into their Olympic qualifying tie against Comoros.
The Nigeria Football Federation has appointed Augustine Eguavoen as Super Falcons interim coach, thrusting the former Super Eagles boss into the dugout just weeks before Nigeria’s 2028 Olympic Games qualifying campaign begins. It’s a bold, if familiar, move from an NFF still searching for a permanent successor to Justin Madugu.
Madugu was sacked last month after Nigeria missed out on the 2027 Women’s World Cup for the first time in the tournament’s history, a result that shook confidence in a team used to dominating African women’s football. Since then, the Super Falcons have shown they can still perform when it matters — reaching the WAFCON 2026 quarter-finals before a hard-fought exit to Cameroon.
As a result, the NFF’s technical committee moved quickly rather than leave the team without direction heading into a competitive qualifier. Eguavoen, who guided the Super Eagles to Africa Cup of Nations bronze in 2006, brings senior international experience even though his background is on the men’s side of the game.
Nigeria’s 2028 Los Angeles Olympic qualifying campaign kicks off with a two-legged tie against Comoros, who reached this stage after a staggering 30-0 aggregate win over Sudan in the previous round. Both legs will be played at the Remo Stars Stadium in Ikenne-Remo, on 9 and 13 October 2026.
On paper, the tie looks straightforward for a ten-time African champion side. However, qualifying campaigns under an interim coaching setup carry their own risk — a new voice in the dressing room this close to a competitive fixture leaves little time to bed in tactical changes.
Eguavoen isn’t working alone. Christopher Danjuma, who recently led the Falconets at the 2024 FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup, joins the interim technical crew, giving the setup someone with direct experience of Nigeria’s age-grade women’s structures. Former Super Falcons defender Ayisat Yusuf, who won 68 caps and featured at the 2008 Beijing Olympics, comes in as an assistant coach, alongside veteran goalkeeper trainer Olatunji Baruwa.
That mix of a men’s-game veteran, a women’s youth-team specialist and a decorated former international gives the interim setup more balance than the “caretaker” tag might suggest.
The NFF has been explicit that this is an interim arrangement while the search for a permanent coach continues. In the meantime, though, Eguavoen’s task is straightforward: get Nigeria through Comoros and keep the Olympic qualifying campaign on track.
For a squad that’s had a difficult year — missing a World Cup for the first time, then losing its head coach — a settled two-legged win over Comoros in October would go a long way toward restoring momentum before the NFF makes its permanent appointment.
Meanwhile, on the men’s side, Super Eagles coach Eric Chelle faces his own selection questions as Nigeria’s AFCON 2027 qualifying campaign continues — a reminder that the NFF’s technical committee has plenty on its plate across both national teams this season.
Nigeria’s build-up and the confirmed line-up for the Comoros tie were first reported by Vanguard News.
Who is the new Super Falcons coach?
Augustine Eguavoen, the former Super Eagles head coach, has been named interim coach of the Super Falcons.
Why did the Super Falcons need a new coach?
Justin Madugu was sacked in August 2026 after Nigeria missed qualification for the Women’s World Cup for the first time.
Who do the Super Falcons play next?
Nigeria face Comoros in a two-legged 2028 Olympic qualifier, both legs at the Remo Stars Stadium in Ikenne-Remo, on 9 and 13 October 2026.
Is Eguavoen the permanent Super Falcons coach?
No — the NFF has confirmed this is an interim appointment while its search for a permanent head coach continues.
For more on the Super Falcons’ recent form, see our coverage of how the Super Falcons reached the WAFCON 2026 quarter-finals and their World Cup qualifying miss against South Africa.
Update: the Super Falcons now know their first opponent under Eguavoen — see the Comoros qualifying fixture details.
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