Seven months after African Women Cup of Nations AWCON 2022, the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) has paid the Super Falcons, a nine-time African champion team, their cumulative match bonuses.

After prior ugly incidents, including protests that greeted the nine-time African champions’ victories in 2010 and 2016, the seven-month wait was likely one of the longest for them to collect their entitlements.

After losing to Zambia 1-0 in the third-place match, Randy Waldrum’s team finished fourth at WAFCON 2022, which was their worst performance in the competition’s history (they lost a record three games out of six).

Rasheedat Ajibade’s lone goal against the Indomitable Lionesses gave the West Africans the victory they needed to advance automatically to a ninth straight Women’s World Cup campaign in Australia and New Zealand.

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The disastrous losses, however, started with a 2-1 loss to archrival South Africa in the first game before Waldrum’s team was defeated by Morocco on penalties following a frustrating 120 minutes that ended in a 1-1 stalemate.

Due to a first-half own goal by goalie Chiamaka Nnadozie at the Stade Mohammed V in Casablanca, the team suffered its third loss against Zambia in the third-place match, leaving them without a medal for the second time in the competition.

The Super Falcons can now devote all of their attention to getting ready for the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup, starting with their participation in the first-ever Revelation Cup in Leon, Mexico, later this month.

The former African champions will compete in a four-team tournament with Mexico, Colombia, Costa Rica, and their hosts from February 15 to 23.

The latter two teams will also compete in this summer’s global championship.