WAFCON 2026: Super Falcons Ajibade disappointed with postponement
By: Akinde .S. Oluwaseun
Super Falcons Ajibade disappointed with postponement has stirred reactions across the women’s football scene, and Rasheedat Ajibade did not hide how she feels about it. The Super Falcons captain was clearly unhappy after the Confederation of African Football, CAF, shifted the tournament from its earlier date to a later one in July. It was not just another update on the calendar. It felt bigger than that. A little frustrating, honestly.
The 2026 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations had been fixed to begin on March 17. That was the plan. Teams were looking ahead, players were getting mentally ready, and fans too had started counting down in their own way. Then came Thursday’s announcement from CAF. The tournament would no longer start then. It has now been pushed to July.
CAF said the decision was taken because of “some unforseen circumstances.” That was the explanation given. Brief. Official. But for many people following the women’s game on the continent, it did not exactly make the disappointment go away. These things happen in football, yes, but that does not mean players have to be happy about it.
Ajibade certainly was not.
She went on social media, and her message was direct. No long speech. No carefully polished statement. Just one line that said a lot. “African women’s football deserves better,” she wrote on X, adding a disappointed emoji. That was all. But really, it was enough. Sometimes a short message hits harder than a full press release. This was one of those times.
Her reaction quickly caught attention because it reflected what many people were already thinking. Women’s football in Africa has continued to grow, and there is no doubt about that. The talent is there. The passion too. The audience is growing. But moments like this still leave questions hanging in the air. Big ones. Why does the women’s game keep finding itself in situations like this? Why does progress still come with these avoidable stumbles? It is tiring. A bit sad too.
Ajibade, as captain of Nigeria’s Super Falcons, knows what these tournaments mean. Not just to the players, but to young girls watching from home, to countries hoping to compete well, and to the image of the game itself. Preparation for a major competition is not something athletes do halfway. It takes planning, rhythm, timing. Once dates move suddenly, everything shifts with it. The training plans. The mindset. The momentum. All of it.
Only last week, the Super Falcons were in action against Cameroon in two friendly matches. Those games were part of the wider build-up, the kind of steps teams take before a major competition arrives. So, with that in mind, the postponement feels even more awkward. Like everybody was moving in one direction, then someone suddenly pulled the brakes. Hard.
Still, Ajibade’s words were not just about this one delay. They seemed to speak to a larger issue, one that has followed women’s football in Africa for years. The sense that the game keeps asking for respect it should already have. The sense that players keep proving their worth, yet still get handed avoidable setbacks. That is where the frustration comes from, I think. Not only the date change, but what it represents.
For now, the tournament will wait until July. That is the new reality. Teams will adjust because they have to. Players will carry on because that is what professionals do. But Ajibade’s message will likely stay in the conversation for a while, and maybe it should. It was honest. Sharp. Human.
And in just a few words, she said what plenty of others probably wanted to say too, Reportersroom reports.
