Former Super Falcons assistant coach Mansur Abdullahi has urged the team to stay calm and make the most of the opportunity presented by Thursday’s World Cup play-off against South Africa, insisting Nigeria’s performance at the 2026 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations was better than widely perceived.

Abdullahi, who currently serves as Technical Director at Sokoto United and doubles as Assistant General Secretary of the Nigeria Football Coaches Association, coached alongside the Falconets and Flamingoes before his spell as part of the Super Falcons’ technical crew.

“The truth is that Falcons did not play the way people think. My own candid advice is for them to calm down, make use of the opportunity that comes their way on Thursday and get the slot for the next step,” Abdullahi told PUNCH Sports Extra.

The former assistant coach, who has previously called for greater investment in Nigeria’s grassroots women’s football structures to protect the country’s continental dominance, has been a consistent voice urging patience with the current crop of players even as scrutiny mounts on the technical crew following the quarter-final exit to Cameroon.

Nigeria will need to beat Banyana Banyana in Casablanca on Thursday (today) to advance to the FIFA Intercontinental Play-Off Tournament, where a place at the 2027 Women’s World Cup in Brazil awaits the winner.