Reigning WAFCON Player of the Tournament Rasheedat Ajibade talked to FIFA about Nigeria's state of mind and their potential participation in the FIFA Women's World Cup 2027.
PSG star spoke to FIFA about how the Super Falcons are hoping to become global contenders
If you follow African and world football, you are bound to know Nigerian Rasheedat Ajibade, with her infectious smile and frequently colourfully-dyed hair. At the 2024 CAF Women's Africa Cup of Nations, held in Morocco in July 2025, her Super Falcons team won the continental title, and Ajibade was voted the tournament's best player.
It is an understatement to say that the 25-year-old striker's rise has been meteoric. In 2014, when she competed in the FIFA U-17 Women's World Cup™ while still just 14, her family discovered she was representing Nigeria by chance while watching the news on TV.
Two years later in Jordan, she captained Nigeria at the U-17 World Cup before travelling to Papua New Guinea a few months later to compete in the 2016 FIFA U-20 Women's World Cup™, and returning to the U-20 finals - by now a veteran of these youth World Cups - at the 2018 edition in France.
It was inevitable that the Paris Saint-Germain star would ascend to the senior ranks and, sure enough, she went on to compete for the Super Falcons in the FIFA Women's World Cups™ of 2019 and 2023. With her nation having just secured their place at the 2026 Women's Africa Cup of Nations after a 3-1 aggregate win over Benin, which will take place next March and serve as the qualifiers for the FIFA Women's World Cup 2027™ in Brazil, Ajibade spoke exclusively to FIFA about their recent continental triumph and her ambitions for Brazil 2027.
FIFA: You won the WAFCON 2024 in July by beating Morocco 3-2 in the final. Were you ever scared, thinking you wouldn't make it, being 2-0 down at half-time?
Rasheedat Ajibade: Honestly, yes. But on the other hand, when I looked at individual players in the locker room at half-time, I had confidence, because I knew that everyone on this team had the quality to win this game, to be better on that pitch and to eventually win the tournament. We had worked so hard to get to this point - losing cheaply was not possible.
If we managed to get a goal, everything was going to change, we all had to believe in ourselves. We had nothing to lose. We also had to remind ourselves that we wanted to use this as a tool of change. We couldn't let it slip out of our hands. All our efforts, every sacrifice, all our hard work, every sleepless night, every up-and-down that we went through, it was just going to amount to nothing. So we had 45 minutes to redefine the whole story, to make it work. And with God's backing, we won it. First goal, second goal, third goal, and boom! We won the game. It was really amazing.
How did you feel at final whistle?
I thanked God, and the feeling was… I can't even express the feeling; I don't know how to put it into words. If you look at all we've been through, and the players' discipline, the players' unity, how we stayed together through the highs and lows… it was just rewarding. The only thing we can say is that it all paid off in the end, so we're just grateful. And it was a great moment for our nation, for us as players, for every young girl in Nigeria. We're grateful that we were able to make that remarkable milestone, we fulfilled "Mission X" (winning Nigeria's 10th WAFCON title).
What did Mission X really mean to you?
We all saw beyond Mission X. We saw this win as an instrument and a tool for change. Because, after Mission X, what next? Does it just end there? We wanted it to be a leverage for us to move into the next level, which is become a great competitor on the global stage.
You've now won two WAFCON titles, the previous one having come in 2018. How do the two compare?
They don't compare because from a personal view, for the first one, I was one of the youngest on the team. That was my first outing with the Super Falcons, I was still playing club football in Nigeria. I played very little and it was just fun. The top players made it very welcoming for me.
Now I'm more mature, more experienced. I've played a lot of tournaments; I've had a lot of club experience. Fast forward almost a decade, and it's different. When I look at my journey, I've always been consistent, whether it was with the U-17, the U-20s or the Super Falcons. My development has been very consistent with the national team.
And looking at how I started and where I am now… I didn't play much in my first Nations Cup, I was joint-top scorer in my second (in 2022) and now I'm Player of the Tournament. I'm grateful to God and I'm just happy for every moment of my career. In the end, it's always all about the team. The team first, everyone around me first and myself last. That's my mindset.
You mentioned the U-17s and U-20s. What are you best memories of the four age category World Cups you've played?
Honestly, everything is memorable for me. But I'll maybe go for the first one in Costa Rica [in 2014], because that was my first time playing on the international stage and traveling out of Nigeria to represent my country at that young age. And considering where I came from, it's something that had never been done.
So it was really huge for me. I was just that young girl who was just playing. We were enjoying the moment, with no real pressure. Also, at the time, nobody knew that I was with the national team.
What do you mean nobody knew you were with the national team? And how did they find out?
As I played in the domestic league, we were always in camp with the club. During league season, I didn't come home very often. So my family thought it was one of those camps with the club. And when they saw me, they were like: "Really?" (laughs) At the time, there wasn't really a way to stream the women's game, there was no media visibility. So I think they saw it on the news. They were really proud of me. They were like: "Oh, wow! So, you can play on the global stage. Come on, go and play football!"
Did you previously face any obstacles to playing football?
When I was growing up, although my dad thought that I shouldn't play football, my mum always supported me as long as I was responsible at home – doing house chores for instance. If you fulfil your obligations as an African child, you have the freedom to do what you want.
However, I grew up in an environment that didn't really care about women's football. Nobody watched it. Now, the narrative is changing, thanks to the Super Falcons wins and the way women's football is growing. It's still very low key but it's better [than when I grew up].
You're now heading to the WAFCON once again. Do you think you have more pressure because you're the holders and it's a qualifying competition for Brazil 2027?
No, we just have to go with the same energy, with the same mentality. We want to be a team that can compete against anyone. The 2026 WAFCON is crucial for us. We have to make sure that, first, we get a ticket to the World Cup and, second, defend the title. We want to show we're a better team.
What makes the Super Falcons such a great team?
I would say the personalities, the quality of the players that we have, the mindset. We're willing to stick together, to work together, to back up ourselves as sisters. So that's one thing that makes this team really special. Players who are dedicated, who understand their role and responsibility, who also advocate for change.
If you qualify for the World Cup, what would be the main objective?
Firstly, as players, we are ready, we focus on football. We now hope that we can work together with the federation to make sure that the team is able to perform well on the global stage, at the World Cup. We're saying: "We don't just want to be African champions anymore. We want to be global contenders." We want to make sure that we surpass the level that we hold. Because we know we have the quality and the talent.
What would you most look forward to at Brazil 2027?
If I, by God's grace, have no injuries, no issues, I make the final cut to the World Cup, I'm looking forward to seeing those lions, those giants - my team-mates with the big hearts. Those incredible players that I'm going to play with. Those ladies who can both march on the field and look into our faces and say: "We've got this". That's what I'm looking forward to.
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