Thomas Dennerby Emerges Top Contender For Super Falcons Of Nigeria Job

Thomas Dennerby is in contention to return as head coach of the Super Falcons as the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) works to appoint a new technical crew before the team’s 2028 Olympic qualifiers.

The Swedish coach is reportedly the leading candidate, while former Falcons coach Florence Omagbemi and other Nigerian coaches remain under consideration.

The NFF’s interim leadership, headed by Emmanuel Ikpeme, wants the appointment completed before Nigeria face Comoros in October.

Naija News reports that the move follows the decision in August to ask Justine Madugu and his technical crew to step aside after the Falcons failed to defend their Women’s Africa Cup of Nations (WAFCON) title in Morocco and missed out on the 2027 FIFA Women’s World Cup.

Before his dismissal, Madugu guided Nigeria to a record-extending 10th WAFCON title in 2025.

National Sports Commission Director-General Bukola Olopade confirmed that a new technical team would be appointed before the Olympic qualifiers.

“The Olympics are around the corner; we will see how we can tweak the technical team of the Falcons as we did for the U-23, which coach Eric Chelle will handle. This is because we are desirous of qualifying for the Olympics,” Olopade said in August.

Dennerby, 65, previously managed the Super Falcons between January 2018 and September 2019. He led Nigeria to the 2018 WAFCON title in Ghana and guided the team to the knockout stages of the 2019 FIFA Women’s World Cup in France, their first last-16 appearance at the tournament in two decades.

He left the position following an administrative dispute with the NFF before taking charge of the Indian women’s national team, where he remained until his contract ended in 2023. Omagbemi is also in the frame after leading Nigeria to the 2016 WAFCON title.

Nigeria returned to the women’s football event at the Paris 2024 Olympics after a 16-year absence but exited in the group stage. The Falcons will now look to revive their Olympic hopes after missing the World Cup, beginning their qualifying campaign against Comoros in October.

Comoros reached the second round after beating Sudan 30-0 on aggregate, winning the first leg 17-0 on June 3 before completing the rout with a 13-0 victory five days later.