In the second semi-final of the 13th Women AFCON championships in Casablanca this evening, the Super Falcons vow they are determined to end Cup holders South Africa’s hopes of regaining their title as Nigeria’s Mission X juggernaut rumbles inexorably to the finish line.
The Super Falcons have advanced to the semi-finals every time in the competition’s 27-year history, and arrogant Zambia proved to be too weak to break that record when they faced up in the quarterfinals on Friday. The Super Falcons won 5-0.
South Africa’s Banyana Banyana have been traditionally a dismal opponent to the Nigerian females for decades. After their first encounter in March 1995, it took the Rainbow Nation girls 17 years to defeat the Falcons, who had defeated them 1-0 in a Women’s AFCON game in Equatorial Guinea 13 years prior. They suffered incessantly before to then, suffering defeats of 7-1 and 5-0.
In 2018, the Banyana won another Women’s AFCON match in Ghana (group stage), but they were defeated in a penalty shootout in the final, which gave Nigeria their ninth continental championship. Three years earlier, the Banyana won their first African title after defeating host Morocco (who had defeated Nigeria in the semi-finals via penalty shootout) in the final. They had the advantage in a group stage match again (2-1).
The topic of whose team in Africa is superior—the Falcons or the Banyana—has been hotly debated over the last few weeks, and it should be adequately addressed at the Larbi Zaouli Stadium this evening.
Technical Video 11 DEC Technical Video 11 DEC
Nigeria has won six of the ten previous Women’s AFCON matches between the two countries, while South Africa has won three of them. Nigeria won the 2018 Women’s AFCON Final after a penalty shootout, the only one that ended in a draw.
Since their first meeting on March 4, 1997, a 1995 FIFA Women’s World qualification match that the Falcons won 4-1, the two teams have faced off 25 times in total. Two weeks later, the Banyana were thrashed 7-1 in the rematch in South Africa. The Super Falcons have won fifteen times, while the Banyana have won four and six of their games have ended in draws.
Read Also: NNPCL Posts N905 Billion Profit for June 2025, Remits N6.96 Trillion in Five Months
South Africa’s most significant victory over Nigeria is still their 4-2 thrashing of a weaker Nigeria at the Aisha Buhari Invitational Tournament in Lagos in September 2021. The Falcons most recently defeated the Banyana to earn a spot in the Women’s Olympic Football Tournament for the first time in sixteen years.
Both the Banyana and the Falcons advanced to the Round of 16 at the FIFA Women’s World Cup finals in Australia two years ago. The Falcons, however, were the ones that stunned the world with their bravery, tenacity, and style when they defeated co-hosts Australia at Brisbane’s Lang Park and ended the tournament undefeated in regulation time.
Refiloe Jane of South Africa (c) celebrates winning after penalties during the 2024 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations match between Senegal and South Africa at Honneur Stadium in Oujda, Morocco on July 19, 2025. Via BackpagePix/Nabil Ramdani
Nigerian forward Chinwendu Ihezuo is currently tied for the best scorer’s award with three goals, one more than Senegalese forward Nguenar Ndiaye and Morocco captain Ghizlane Chebbak.
Without a doubt, all the signs and conditions are in place for Tuesday night’s thrilling Women AFCON semi-final match in Casablanca.
Head-to-head: South Africa vs. Nigeria:
Nigeria 4 South Africa 1 (WCq) March 4, 1995
South Africa 1 Nigeria 7 (WCq), March 19, 1995
South Africa 0 Nigeria 2 (WAFCON), November 25, 2000
Nigeria 5 South Africa 0 (WAFCON), December 18, 2002
South Africa 0 Nigeria 3 (Friendly) March 30, 2003
Nigeria 1 South Africa 0 (AfGames), October 11, 2003
March 12, 2004: Nigeria 2, South Africa 2 (Olyq)
Nigeria 1 South Africa 0 (Olyq) March 28, 2004
South Africa vs. Nigeria (AfGames), July 9, 2007
18 July 2007: AfGames: South Africa 0 Nigeria 4
Nigeria 5 South Africa 0 (Olyq) July 28, 2008
August 12, 2008: Nigeria 1, South Africa 0 (Olyq)
22 November 2008: Nigeria 1 0 South Africa (WAFCON)
November 4, 2010: WAFCON South Africa vs. Nigeria
South Africa 1 Nigeria 1 (Friendly) on June 3, 2012
Nigeria 0 South Africa 0 (Friendly) June 23, 2012
South Africa 1 Nigeria 0 (WAFCON), November 7, 2012
South Africa 1 Nigeria 2 (WAFCON), October 22, 2014
Nigeria 1 South Africa 0 (WAFCON), November 29, 2016
South Africa 1 Nigeria 0 (WAFCON), November 18, 2018
Nigeria 0 South Africa 0 (WAFCON) December 1, 2018
* Nigeria won 4–3 on penalties.
Nigeria 2 South Africa 4 (Aisha Buhari Cup) September 21, 2021
4 July 2022: South Africa 2 Nigeria 1 (WAFCON)
Nigeria 1 South Africa 0 (Olyq), April 5, 2024
South Africa 0 Nigeria 0 (Olyq) on April 9, 2024
