WAFCON 2026: How Nigeria won three-way tie with Zambia and Malawi to reach QF

The Super Falcons booked their place in the quarter-finals of the 2026 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations, but the journey wasn't as smooth as many expected, Soccernet.ng reports.

After recovering from the group-opening defeat to Malawi, Nigeria had to rely on the tournament’s head-to-head tiebreak regulations rather than the overall goal difference to edge past Zambia in one of the competition’s most dramatic group-stage finales.

Going into the final round of Group C fixtures, Malawi sat top of the table with six points after victories over Nigeria and Egypt. Nigeria and Zambia both had three points, while Egypt had none.

Nigeria responded by thrashing Egypt 6-2, while Zambia defeated Malawi 2-1. The results left Malawi, Nigeria and Zambia level on six points each, forcing CAF’s tiebreak criteria into action.

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Why goal difference against Egypt did not matter

Many supporters assumed that the Super Falcons' four-goal victory over Egypt would comfortably secure qualification on goal difference.

However, CAF regulations state that when three or more teams finish level on points, the first tiebreaker is the mini-league involving only the tied teams. Results against the bottom-placed team are ignored until later criteria become necessary.

That meant only these matches counted:

• Nigeria 2-3 Malawi
• Nigeria 1-0 Zambia
• Malawi 1-2 Zambia

The mini-table therefore stood as follows:

Team	Points	Goals For	Goals Against	Goal Difference
Malawi	3	4	4	0
Nigeria	3	3	3	0
Zambia	3	2	2	0

Nigeria's six goals against Egypt were irrelevant to this calculation because Egypt were not part of the three-way tie.

How Nigeria qualified

Once Malawi lost by only one goal to Zambia, the tiebreak moved beyond the points accrued.

Malawi finished ahead of Nigeria thanks to their 3-2 victory over the Super Falcons in the opening match, while Zambia's 2-1 win over Malawi was only enough to level the mini-table on points.

Nigeria's 1-0 victory over Zambia ultimately proved decisive. Although all three teams finished on six points, the Super Falcons' win over the Copper Queens ensured Zambia could not finish above them under CAF's head-to-head tiebreak process.

Overall goal difference across all group matches was not the deciding factor in the qualification process.

Malawi's historic campaign

While the Green and Whites celebrated qualification, Malawi told the biggest tale in Group C.

Making only their first appearance at the WAFCON tournament, the Scorchers stunned defending champions Nigeria in their opening game before defeating Egypt to become surprise group winners.

Even after losing to Zambia, they remained top of the group because of their superior head-to-head position within the three-way tie.

The Chawinga sisters, Temwa and Tabitha, proved instrumental throughout the group stage, helping Malawi reach the knockout rounds in dramatic fashion.

Lessons for the Super Falcons

The record African Champions eventually progressed, but the process exposed familiar foes. The Super Falcons recovered from their shock defeat to Malawi, scoring seven goals across their final two matches.

Yet the heavy opening loss nearly knocked them out of the tournament, leaving their fate dependent on complex tiebreak calculations rather than outright superiority in the group.

For Justine Madugu's side, the quarter-finals offer an opportunity to reset, but if they are to defend their crown, they cannot afford another lapse like the one that happened against Malawi.