Chioma Okafor (footballer)
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Chioma Okafor | ||
| Date of birth | 20 March 2003 | ||
| Place of birth | Blantyre, Malawi | ||
| Height | 1.65 m (5 ft 5 in) | ||
| Position | Forward | ||
| Team information | |||
Current team | North Carolina Courage | ||
| College career | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2022–2025 | UConn Huskies | 57 | (30) |
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2026– | North Carolina Courage | 0 | (0) |
| International career‡ | |||
| 2024– | Nigeria | ||
|
* Club domestic league appearances and goals as of 14 August 2025 ‡ National team caps and goals as of 14 August 2025 | |||
Chioma Okafor OON (born 20 March 2003) is a professional footballer who plays as a forward for the North Carolina Courage of the National Women's Soccer League (NWSL). Born in Malawi, she plays for the Nigeria national team. She played college soccer for the UConn Huskies, earning All-American honors three times.
Early life
Okafor was born in Malawi to a Nigerian father and a Malawian mother.[1][2]
College career
Okafor joined the women's soccer team at the University of Connecticut in 2022, after graduating from the Berkshire School in Sheffield, Massachusetts.[3] She was a Hermann Trophy semifinalist in 2024 and was named to the prestigious trophy's watchlist in August 2025 ahead of her senior season.[4]
Club career
On 10 December 2025, the North Carolina Courage announced that they had signed Okafor to a three-year contract through 2028, with the club option to extend another year.[5]
International career
Okafor was part of the Nigerian women national team squad that won the 2025 Women's Africa Cup of Nations and was awarded the national honour Officer of the Order of the Niger (OON), a hundred thousand dollars and a three-bedroom apartment at the Renewed Hope Estate in Abuja.[6][7]
Honours and awards
UConn Huskies
Nigeria
Individual
- Third-team All-American: 2023, 2024, 2025
- First-team All-Big East: 2023, 2024, 2025
- Second-team All-Big East: 2022
- Big East tournament Offensive MVP: 2024
- Officer of the Order of the Niger
References
- ^ Ademola Victor TV (25 July 2025). Chioma Okafor: Why I Chose to Play for Nigeria Instead of Malawi | Winning WAFCON Gold Means to Me. Retrieved 10 August 2025 – via YouTube.
- ^ "Meet Chioma Okafor: The Malawi-born star ready to fly Nigeria's colours at the WAFCON in Morocco - Soccernet NG". 20 June 2025. Retrieved 10 August 2025.
- ^ "Chioma Okafor - Women's Soccer". University of Connecticut Athletics. Retrieved 10 August 2025.
- ^ "2025 Women's Hermann Trophy Watch List Announced". UnitedSoccerCoaches.org. United Soccer Coaches. Retrieved 14 August 2025.
- ^ "NC Courage Sign Nigerian National Team Forward Chioma Okafor". North Carolina Courage. 10 December 2025. Retrieved 10 December 2025.
- ^ "Tinubu confers national honour, gifts $100k, houses to Super Falcons players".
- ^ "Tinubu honours triumphant Super Falcons with national honours, $100,000 cash each".