Eguavoen takes interim Super Falcons job as Olympic road begins against Comoros
Augustine Eguavoen has been handed immediate responsibility for Nigeria’s push towards the Los Angeles 2028 Olympics, with the Nigeria Football Federation appointing the former Super Eagles coach to lead the Super Falcons on an interim basis.
The NFF confirmed that Eguavoen will take charge of Nigeria’s senior women’s national team for October’s second-round Olympic qualifying fixtures against Comoros while the federation continues its search for a substantive head coach.
The assignment leaves little room for drift.
Nigeria must negotiate four rounds of two-legged knockout football to secure one of Africa’s two available places in the women’s football tournament at Los Angeles 2028. The first obstacle is Comoros.
Both legs will be played at the Remo Stars Stadium in Ikenne-Remo on October 9 and October 13, 2026. Nigeria received a bye into the second round as one of the three highest-ranked teams in the qualifying competition, while Comoros advanced after defeating Sudan 30-0 on aggregate.
Eguavoen will be assisted by Nasarawa Amazons head coach Christopher Danjuma and former Super Falcons defender Ayisat Yusuf, while Olatunji Baruwa will serve as goalkeeper trainer.
The appointment places one of Nigerian football’s most familiar technical figures at the centre of another high-pressure national-team assignment. Eguavoen previously led the Super Eagles to a bronze medal at the 2006 Africa Cup of Nations and has held several senior technical responsibilities within the national setup.
But this task will be judged by consequence rather than reputation.
Victory over Comoros would send Nigeria into a third-round tie against either DR Congo or Morocco between February 23 and March 6, 2027. Further knockout rounds follow before Africa’s two Olympic representatives are decided.
The NFF has already expressed confidence that the 10-time African champions can return to the Olympic tournament after competing at Paris 2024.
Eguavoen’s interim status therefore does not reduce the pressure attached to the job. His first task is clear: get the Super Falcons past Comoros and keep Nigeria alive in a qualification race offering only two continental tickets.
For a team carrying Nigeria’s stature in African women’s football, October will be more than the beginning of another campaign. It will test whether a temporary coaching solution can keep a permanent Olympic ambition on course.
