Nigeria, Aug. 10 -- The signs have been there since last year, when the collective strength of the players, not any masterplan from the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF), dragged the team to a 10th WAFCON title in Rabat.

With twelve months to restrategise and rebuild a squad capable of surviving an increasingly competitive women's football landscape, the Falcons, led by coach Justin Madugu, and the NFF instead stood still. So, there was no real surprise on Sunday when a 19th-minute free-kick from Cameroon's Myriam Nyadjou was enough to end Nigeria's title defence at the quarter-final stage in Casablanca, the earliest continental exit for the Falcons in recent memory, and one that leaves their automatic ticket to the 2027 FIFA Women's Wor...