The Nigeria Football Federation has decided that questions around the country’s recent struggles in international football can no longer be left unanswered. The NFF has constituted a six member fact finding committee to investigate what it describes as an “unwholesome poor run” by Nigeria’s national teams, with the Super Falcons’ failure to qualify for the 2027 FIFA Women’s World Cup providing the most immediate and painful backdrop.

For a country that has long viewed itself as a heavyweight of African football, the Super Falcons’ elimination represents more than another disappointing tournament. Nigeria’s women had never missed a World Cup since the competition began in 1991. That remarkable record has now come to an end.

The Super Falcons entered the 2026 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations in Morocco as defending champions and the most successful team in the history of the competition, with 10 continental titles to their name. Instead of another deep run, Nigeria’s campaign ended at the quarter final stage.

The disappointment became even greater in the subsequent playoff against South Africa. Nigeria suffered a 2 1 defeat, a result that ended their hopes of reaching the inter confederation playoffs and, with it, their chances of securing a place at the 2027 World Cup in Brazil. For a team accustomed to being Africa’s representative on the biggest stage, the consequences are significant.

The NFF now wants to understand how Nigeria arrived at this point. The committee will examine the circumstances surrounding the poor performances of the national teams and is expected to assess the wider factors contributing to Nigeria’s recent difficulties in international competitions.

The investigation comes at a moment when concerns about the direction of Nigerian football have extended beyond one result or one team. The Super Falcons’ failure is particularly striking because of what the team represents. Nigeria has traditionally been the dominant force in African women’s football, winning more Women’s Africa Cup of Nations titles than any other country and building a reputation for regularly competing at the World Cup.

Their presence at every edition since 1991 had become almost automatic. That consistency has now disappeared.

Former NFF General Secretary Ambassador Fanny Amun, MON, will chair the committee. He will be joined by former Nigeria Under 20 head coach and President of the Nigeria Football Coaches Association Ladan Bosso, former Super Falcons captain and multiple Women’s AFCON winner Desire Oparanozie, former Super Eagles captain and AFCON winner Mutiu Adepoju, and former FIFA referee Dr Alex Mana.

Mallam Mohammed Nasir Sa’idu, chairman of the Sokoto State Football Association, will serve as secretary.

The committee brings together experience from different corners of Nigerian football. There is coaching experience, international playing experience, refereeing expertise and administrative knowledge. That gives the investigation an opportunity to look beyond the immediate result and examine the structural issues that may have contributed to Nigeria’s decline.

The key question is whether the committee can identify problems that have been visible for some time but have proved difficult to solve. Nigeria’s football challenges have rarely been limited to what happens for 90 minutes on the pitch. Coaching decisions, player development, preparation, administration, infrastructure and the relationship between the federation and national teams can all influence international performance.

The Super Falcons’ failure to qualify for the 2027 World Cup has simply made those questions impossible to ignore.

For the players and coaching staff, the immediate pain will be difficult to escape. For the NFF, however, the investigation provides an opportunity to look at the bigger picture. A committee report will not by itself restore Nigeria’s position at the top of African football. It will only matter if its findings lead to meaningful changes.

The Super Falcons have already lost something that had seemed almost untouchable: their perfect World Cup qualification record. The challenge now is ensuring that this does not become the beginning of a longer decline.

Nigeria has spent decades building its reputation as one of Africa’s football powers. The latest setback has shown that reputation alone is no longer enough. The NFF’s investigation must determine what went wrong, who is responsible and, most importantly, what needs to change before another generation of Nigerian footballers pays the price.