Soccer
Okoronkwo Ijeoma Esther of Nigeria during the 2026 Wafcon Qualifiers. Copyright: ImagoxShengolpixsx
Super Falcons and Toronto AFC Women forward Esther Okoronkwo is now a doubt for Nigeria’s upcoming WAFCON 2026 campaign, Soccernet.ng reports.
The 29-year-old was one of the Super Falcons’ standout players in Morocco last year, scoring two goals and providing seven assists as the Nigerian Female Football team were crowned African Champions for the 10th time.
The WAFCON 2026 tournament was initially scheduled to be held between 17 March and 3 April, but was postponed by CAF. The new duration is 25 July – 16 August 2026.
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Soccer Super Falcons: Esther Okoronkwo suffers a meniscus tear
With the WAFCON tournament just over two months away, one of Justin Madugu’s key players might not be present in Morocco, and that’s a big blow, because a semi-final spot is required for the African Champions to seal a World Cup spot.
Okoronkwo went down in AFC Toronto’s goalless draw against Halifax Women five days ago. After further checks, it was confirmed that the former Saint-Etienne attacker suffered a meniscus tear and will be out for six weeks.
“We do have an update. Esther suffered a bit of a meniscus damage to her knee and the initial prognosis is that she’ll be out for about six weeks,” AFC Toronto Women’s head coach Marco Milanovic confirmed.
“She’s obviously a key player for us, just like Sam was. When she first came in, she was initially out for the season.
“I love this group of players, I have a lot of confidence in them. So, any injury present any opportunity for someone else.
“We have a lot of depth up top and I’m very confident that those players will take the opportunity and make the most of it,” the Serbian-Canadian concluded.
Coach Madugu will be hopeful of having his star attacker back and fully fit before the tournament kicks off in mid-June.
Okoronkwo missed the AFCON 2022 tournament after suffering a debilitating ACL injury.
Adefolahan Guerreiro
Adefolahan is a multilingual CAF-Accredited sports journalist and football writer whose work spans outlets like Soccernet Nigeria, Pure Football UK, and Royalsportz.
With a sharp eye for detail and a background in college sports, he tells the African football story with depth, flair, and global perspective.
Fluent in English, Spanish, and German, he brings a cross-cultural voice to his coverage, blending insight with accessibility for readers around the world.
His portfolio includes interviews with top Nigerian stars like Finidi George, Junior Lokosa, Sikiru Alimi, Sodiq Ismaila, and Abraham Onahi Ogbu.
A devoted Borussia Dortmund fan, Adefolahan thrives on the emotion and rhythm of the beautiful game. Away from work, he’s a sci-fi enthusiast and series lover who enjoys exploring how sport, storytelling, and culture collide.
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