Nigeria’s dominance of African women’s football has suffered a double setback, with the country missing out on the 2026 CAF Women’s Player of the Year shortlist following the Super Falcons’ failure to qualify for the 2027 FIFA Women’s World Cup for the first time in their history.

The absence of a Nigerian player from this year’s individual award contenders marks an unfamiliar situation for a country that has produced 13 winners across the 21 previous editions of the award. The 2026 ceremony represents the 22nd edition, with the prize not presented in 2009, 2013, 2020 and 2021.

Nigeria’s 13 titles have been shared among four former Super Falcons stars. Asisat Oshoala leads the list with six victories, followed by Perpetua Nkwocha with four. Cynthia Uwak won the award twice, while former Nigeria captain Mercy Akide claimed it once.

Oshoala won in 2014, 2016, 2017, 2019, 2022 and 2023. Nkwocha’s four triumphs came in 2004, 2005, 2010 and 2011, while Uwak won in 2006 and 2007. Akide became Nigeria’s first winner in 2001.

The latest omission is particularly striking given Nigeria’s recent presence among the continent’s leading individual performers. At the 2025 CAF Awards, Super Falcons captain Rasheedat Ajibade made the final three alongside Morocco’s Ghizlane Chebbak and Sanaa Mssoudy, while goalkeeper Chiamaka Nnadozie also featured among Nigeria’s leading award contenders.

The disappointment comes after a difficult campaign at the 2026 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations in Morocco, where the Super Falcons failed to defend their continental title and subsequently lost their place at the 2027 FIFA Women’s World Cup in Brazil.

Nigeria’s campaign suffered a major setback with a 3-2 group-stage defeat to Malawi before Cameroon eliminated the nine-time African champions with a 1-0 quarter-final victory. The Falcons were then given another opportunity to secure World Cup qualification through the African play-offs but lost 2-1 to South Africa on August 13, 2026.

That defeat ended Nigeria’s remarkable record of qualifying for every edition of the FIFA Women’s World Cup since the competition began in 1991. Having appeared at all nine previous tournaments, the Super Falcons will miss the global showpiece for the first time when Brazil hosts the 2027 edition.

Nigeria has, however, retained some representation in the wider women’s award categories, with teenage goalkeeper Christiana Uzoma nominated for Women’s Goalkeeper of the Year. The absence of three-time winner Nnadozie from the shortlist is another notable development.

For a country whose players have accounted for 13 of the award’s 21 previous winners, the 2026 nominations represent a significant departure from its established position in African women’s football. Coming in the wake of the World Cup qualification failure, Nigeria’s absence raises fresh questions about the current generation’s individual recognition and the country’s ability to sustain its influence on the continental stage.