For the first time since 2022, no Nigerian player lifted a league trophy in North America’s top three women’s competitions, Soccernet.ng reports.
The development is a sharp contrast to recent seasons where Super Falcons stars had become serial title winners across Canada, the United States, and Mexico.
Esther Okoronkwo (AFC Toronto), Gift Monday and Deborah Abiodun (Washington Spirit), and Chidinma Okeke (Club América) all reached their respective playoff finals over the weekend. The duo of Okoronkwo and Abiodun were key members of the Nigerian squad that won the Women’s Africa Cup of Nations in Morocco earlier this year.
But by Sunday night, all walked off the pitch on the losing side, drawing a continental line under a year that had promised so much yet yielded little silverware.
It is a striking departure from the 2023 and 2024 cycles that produced landmark triumphs: Uchenna Kanu became the first African to win the Liga MX Femenil title; Ifeoma Onumonu lifted the NWSL Championship with Gotham; and Osinachi Ohale alongside Chinwendu Ihezuo powered Pachuca to Liga MX glory.
But 2025 will be remembered, instead, as the year Nigeria’s best fell agonisingly short on North America’s biggest stages.
Get Our Sports News First – Join Our WhatsApp Channel Now!
Okoronkwo’s brilliance overshadowed as AFC Toronto fall in NSL final
In Canada, Esther Okoronkwo enjoyed a remarkable debut season, finishing among the NSL’s top scorers, leading the league in assists, making Team of the Season, and collecting a handful of weekly awards.
Yet her stellar campaign ended in heartbreak as AFC Toronto lost 2–1 to Vancouver Rise in the Northern Super League final.
Proud of the fight. Grateful for the support.
Thank you, fans — you were with us to the final whistle. #AFCToronto | #RunItOurWay pic.twitter.com/N01Ssm2f8K
— AFC Toronto (@AFC_Toronto) November 15, 2025
Toronto dominated early, but Vancouver’s resilience and a second-half comeback overturned Kaylee Hunter’s opener.
Okoronkwo was involved in the collision that forced Quinn off injured, but she could do little to prevent the shift in momentum as Toronto faltered under pressure at BMO Field.
Nigeria’s Monday and Abiodun denied as Gotham edge Washington Spirit in NWSL showpiece
In the United States, Gift Monday and Deborah Abiodun reached the NWSL Championship with the Washington Spirit, only to be undone by Gotham FC’s experience and tactical maturity.
Final from San Jose pic.twitter.com/7XvRl7Rrd6
— Washington Spirit (@WashSpirit) November 23, 2025
Washington struggled to find rhythm in a cagey final, and while Abiodun was poised to come on during a crucial stretch, the Spirit instead played with an injured midfielder during the build-up to Rose Lavelle’s decisive 80th-minute strike.
Gotham held firm to secure a second title in three years, leaving the Nigerian duo with silver medals instead of silverware.
Okeke’s América fall short in Mexico as Tigres claim seventh Liga MX crown
In Mexico, Chidinma Okeke and Club América were edged 1–0 by Tigres in the second leg of the Liga MX Femenil Apertura final, losing 4–3 on aggregate.
OFFICIAL: 40,000+ fans in attendance for the Liga MX Femenil final as TIGRES are crowned champions for a 7th time in history.
The team with the most league titles ever.
— All Fútbol MX (@AllFutbolMX) November 24, 2025
Diana Ordóñez’s clinical finish proved the difference on a night when América pushed but could not find a breakthrough at the Estadio Universitario.
For Okeke, it marked another deep run without the ultimate reward, extending Tigres’ dominance in the rivalry.
