Eguavoen named interim Super Falcons head coach, with Danjuma, Baruwa and Yusuf as assistants, for LA 2028 Olympic qualifiers
NFF confirms interim technical crew as the 10-time African champions open Olympic qualifying against Comoros in Ikenne on 9 and 13 October.
The Nigeria Football Federation has appointed former Super Eagles head coach Augustine Eguavoen to lead the Super Falcons on an interim basis for their opening 2028 Olympic Games qualifying fixtures against Comoros in October.
The search for a substantive head coach continues.
Eguavoen, widely known as Cerezo, brings senior international experience to the assignment. He previously led the Super Eagles to a bronze medal at the 2006 Africa Cup of Nations in Egypt.
Interim technical crew
• Head Coach: Augustine Eguavoen
• Assistant Coach: Christopher Danjuma, current head coach of Nasarawa Amazons. Danjuma has extensive experience with Nigeria’s women’s national teams and led the Falconets at the 2024 FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup in Costa Rica.
• Goalkeeper Trainer: Olatunji Baruwa, former Super Eagles goalkeeper trainer. Baruwa has worked with several Nigerian national teams, including the Super Eagles, CHAN Eagles, Flying Eagles and Golden Eaglets.
• Assistant Coach: Ayisat Yusuf, former Super Falcons defender. Yusuf won 68 caps for Nigeria and represented the country at four Women’s Africa Cup of Nations tournaments, three FIFA Women’s World Cups and the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing.
The opening assignment
The 10-time African champions begin their Olympic qualifying campaign in the second round against Comoros. Both legs will be played at the Remo Stars Stadium in Ikenne-Remo on 9 and 13 October 2026.
Nigeria received a bye into the second round as one of the three highest-ranked teams in the competition. Comoros advanced after defeating Sudan 30–0 on aggregate.
The road to Los Angeles
Africa has two places at the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic Games. Nigeria must win four rounds of two-legged knockout ties to claim one of them.
If the Super Falcons overcome Comoros, they will advance to the third round, scheduled for 23 February to 6 March 2027, against either the Democratic Republic of Congo or Morocco.
A place in the fourth round would set up a tie against one of Tunisia, Senegal, Benin Republic or Mali between 4 and 12 October 2027.
The final round is scheduled for 23 November to 4 December 2027. Possible opponents then include Guinea, Cameroon, Democratic Republic of Congo, Côte d’Ivoire, Central African Republic, Algeria or Burkina Faso.
The October double-header in Ikenne is the first step. Eguavoen and his assistants have been asked to take it.
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“Should the NFF prioritise a specialised women’s football coach for the Super Falcons permanent role, or is experience managing the Super Eagles enough?”
NFF named Austin Eguavoen interim Super Falcons coach for Oct Olympic qualifiers vs Comoros after Madugu’s sacking post-World Cup miss. Pros: proven crisis experience + strong women’s staff (Danjuma, Yusuf). Cons: no prior women’s coaching; feels like recycling. Fine short-term vs weak foe, but team needs specialist permanent boss.
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