The Super Falcons of Nigeria, reigning African champions, are set to begin their journey to the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic Games women's football tournament. They will face either Sudan or Comoros Islands in the second round of the qualifying series.
Draw Details
The Confederation of African Football (CAF) conducted the draw for the qualifying series in Cairo, Egypt. Nigeria, as a seeded team, received a bye into the second round. This means they will not play until October 2026, when they meet the winner of the first-round clash between Sudan and Comoros, scheduled for June 1 to 9, 2026.
Qualifying Format
Nigeria will enter the fray between October 5 and 13, with matches played over two legs, home and away. At stake is a place in the later rounds of a demanding qualification series that will eventually produce only two African representatives for the women's football event in Los Angeles, scheduled to be held from July 29 to August 11, 2028.
The qualification campaign involves 35 teams and stretches across five knockout rounds. Only two teams will survive the process, highlighting the competitive nature of the race.
Other Notable Ties
Elsewhere in the draw, several strong ties stand out. Tunisia will face Senegal, while Benin take on Mali. Another eye-catching fixture pits Morocco against Congo. There are also heavyweight contests involving Cameroon against Guinea and Zambia meeting Uganda. Cote d'Ivoire will also battle DR Congo.
Nigeria's Olympic History
Interestingly, Nigeria failed to qualify for three consecutive editions of the Olympics between 2012 and 2020 and only made a return to the tournament in 2024. The Super Falcons are the only African women's team to reach the quarterfinals at both the FIFA Women's World Cup and the Summer Olympics, achieving the latter at Athens 2004. The team returned to the Olympics at the Paris 2024 edition after a 16-year absence. Now, the challenge is to qualify for the 2028 Games and improve on their quarterfinals record.
