source: http://www.naijatalkzone.com/2018/11/mission-to-dethrone-falcons-begins-in.html?m=1

And each time the Super Falcons are dethroned, they immediately take it back in the next edition. They have done so since 2014 and haven’t let it go since.
The AFCON finals also double up as a World Cup qualifying campaign, as the top three finishers will book a ticket to France 2019. So there is much more at stake for the other seven countries than stopping the Super Falcons.

The defending champions Falcons of Nigeria get their campaign on the way on Sunday against the Bayana Bayana of South Africa.