Nigeria’s Super Falcons have booked their place in the quarter-finals of the 2026 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations after a commanding 6-2 demolition of Egypt in their final Group C fixture on Wednesday.
The emphatic victory proved decisive as Nigeria finished the group stage level on six points with Malawi and Zambia, with the three teams separated only by a complicated three-way tie-break.
The Super Falcons produced their best attacking display of the group stage to dismantle Egypt, securing the victory they needed to keep their knockout-stage hopes alive after losing their opening match to Malawi.
Three-way tie-break sends Zambia out
The final Group C standings produced an unusual scenario, with Nigeria, Malawi and Zambia all finishing on six points.
However, under the three-way tie-break procedure, the results against Egypt were removed from the calculation, leaving only the matches played among the three teams involved in the tie.
All three sides were then level on three points, while their head-to-head goal difference was also identical.
The next criterion, goals scored in those matches, finally separated them.
Malawi scored four goals, Nigeria three and Zambia two.
That meant Malawi finished top of the three-team calculation, Nigeria took second place and Zambia were eliminated despite their 2-1 victory over Malawi in the final group game.
Zambia’s win therefore could not save them because their overall head-to-head goals tally was inferior to both Malawi and Nigeria.
Falcons turn attention to quarter-finals
For Nigeria, the result completes a dramatic turnaround in Group C.
After suffering a shock defeat to Malawi in their opening game, the Super Falcons responded with victories over Zambia and Egypt to secure their passage into the knockout stage.
Their six-goal haul against Egypt also underlined the attacking strength of the reigning African champions as they prepare for a much tougher quarter-final challenge.
Nigeria and Malawi will now wait for the conclusion of Group D on Thursday to discover their respective quarter-final opponents.
With the group stage now complete for the Super Falcons, attention shifts to the knockout rounds, where Nigeria will continue their pursuit of another continental title.
The Super Falcons are through and Zambia’s elimination shows just how fine the margins can be at a major tournament.
