NFF has confirmed that a cancelled flight delayed Gift Monday and Deborah Abiodun’s arrival at the Super Falcons’ WAFCON camp, adding a late logistics note to Nigeria’s title-defence build-up.
Nigeria’s Super Falcons have hit a late camp logistics bump before their WAFCON title defence, with Gift Monday and Deborah Abiodun delayed by a cancelled flight from the United States.
The Nigeria Football Federation said it had to buy fresh flight tickets for forward Monday and midfielder Abiodun after their scheduled flight was cancelled for technical reasons. According to the federation, both players had arrived at the airport before learning of the cancellation.
Ijamilusi Arrival Lifts Camp To 23 Players
The Falcons’ camp had already grown stronger before the setback, with Folashade Ijamilusi arriving in Casablanca shortly before 3pm on Tuesday.
Her arrival took the number of players in camp to 23, leaving Monday and Abiodun as the final pieces expected to complete coach Justine Madugu’s 25-player squad.
Ijamilusi, who plays for Chinese club Liaoning Shenyang Shenbei Hefeng, was part of Nigeria’s last WAFCON triumph. She scored twice at that tournament, including Nigeria’s equaliser in the 3-2 comeback win over hosts Morocco in the final.
Title Defence Clock Keeps Ticking
For Nigeria, the bigger story is still the title-defence clock.
The Super Falcons are continuing preparations at La Noria Club in Casablanca before moving to Rabat, where they will play their Group C matches against Malawi, Zambia and Egypt.
The team’s arrival meeting with officials of CAF and the Local Organising Committee is scheduled for Saturday, July 25. Nigeria open their title defence against Malawi on Tuesday, July 28, before facing Zambia on August 1 and Egypt four days later.
Champions Carry No Small Delay
The pressure is familiar. Nigeria enter the tournament as 10-time champions and the standard-bearers of African women’s football.
Every camp update, squad movement and travel issue lands inside that larger expectation: the Falcons are not only preparing to compete; they are preparing to defend authority.
Abiodun and Monday’s delay matters because timing matters. In tournament football, late arrivals can affect training rhythm, group integration and tactical preparation, even when the disruption is quickly resolved.
Nigeria’s WAFCON campaign will not be defined by an airport delay. But for a team carrying the weight of another continental crown, even a travel hitch becomes part of the pressure map before the first whistle.