World Cup Play-off: Nigeria Will Do Better Against South Africa — Nnadozie

Super Falcons goalkeeper Chiamaka Nnadozie has vowed that Nigeria will bounce back when they face South Africa in the 2027 FIFA Women’s World Cup play-off on Thursday.

Nnadozie spoke after Nigeria missed out on automatic qualification for the 2027 Women’s World Cup following a 1-0 defeat to Cameroon in the WAFCON quarter-final on Sunday.

The result ended Nigeria’s hopes of qualifying directly for the tournament through their WAFCON campaign.

The Super Falcons will now face South Africa for a place in the inter-confederation play-off, which offers another route to the 2027 Women’s World Cup.

Nnadozie acknowledged the disappointment of the defeat to Cameroon but urged her teammates to remain focused on the opportunity ahead.

“This is football, this is life,” Nnadozie told the BBC World Service.

“What happened, happened, we just have to keep our heads high. There is still hope; it is not over yet.”

The goalkeeper said the team would be determined to improve their performance against South Africa and secure progression to the next stage.

“On Thursday, we will go out strong, we will try to do better than we have done [against Cameroon] and hope to get to the next stage of the World Cup,” she said.

Nnadozie added that the Super Falcons were determined to correct their mistakes and keep their World Cup qualification hopes alive.

“We will go there and make things right,” she said.