Nigeria warned as South Africa prepare for Super Falcons WAFCON challenge with Lesotho faceoff

Nigeria’s Super Falcons face a formidable challenge in their quest to reclaim the Women’s Africa Cup of Nations title, as defending champions South Africa intensify preparations to retain their crown, Soccernet.ng reports.

While the Super Falcons have no matches lined up, Banyana Banyana will host two friendly games against their COSAFA neighbours, Lesotho, in Johannesburg later this month.

The first fixture is scheduled for 22 February 2025, with the second encounter set for 25 February. These matches form part of a nine-day training camp running from 17 to 26 February, overseen by head coach Dr Desiree Ellis.

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The South African senior women’s national team will return to action for the first time in 2025 following their two away friendlies against Jamaica in Montego Bay last December.

Dr Ellis has emphasised, per Safa, that these fixtures are crucial not only for fine-tuning tactics but also for expanding her squad depth ahead of the WAFCON in Morocco, which runs from 5–26 July 2025.

South Africa's biggest challengers and the most successful team in WAFCON history with nine titles, Nigeria have not lifted the trophy since 2018.

Having dominated the competition for decades, the Super Falcons will be eager to reclaim their throne, just as they did twice in the past when Equatorial Guinea briefly interrupted their dominance.

The Super Falcons have also been preparing diligently.

Last year, they secured back-to-back friendly victories over Algeria before pushing France all the way in a narrow 2-1 defeat in November.

However, with South Africa stepping up their preparations, Nigeria will need to organise further high-quality friendlies to match the intensity of their rivals before the tournament kicks off in July.

With both teams sharpening their squads, WAFCON 2025 is shaping up to be one of the most fiercely contested editions yet.