Soccer
Asisat Oshoala Rasheedat Ajibade and other Super Falcons player. Copyright: Imago
Nigeria’s Super Falcons will begin another long journey to the Olympic Games after learning their path in the qualifiers for Los Angeles 2028 Olympic Games, Soccernet.ng reports.
The draw, conducted on Wednesday, 29 April 2026 at the headquarters of Confederation of African Football in Cairo, confirmed that the Super Falcons will face either Sudan or Comoros in the second round.
Nigeria, Africa’s number-one ranked team and the reigning WAFCON champions, were among the seeded teams given a bye into the second round. That means they will not play until October 2026, when they meet the winner of the first-round clash between Sudan and Comoros, scheduled to take place between 1 and 9 June 2026.
The Falcons’ own fixtures are set for 5-13 October 2026, 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 for 11-29 July 2028.
Soccer Super Falcons, Africa’s best collide
The qualification campaign will involve 35 teams and stretch across five knockout rounds. Only two teams will survive the process, an indication of just how competitive the race is.
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. Côte d’Ivoire will also battle DR Congo.
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.
While the Super Falcons remain the most successful women’s team on the continent, their Olympic record tells a more mixed story. They first appeared at the Games in 2000 and reached their best finish at Athens 2004 Olympics, where they made the quarter-finals, still the best performance by an African side in the competition.
After competing again in 2008, Nigeria endured a 16-year absence before returning at Paris 2024 Olympics. That campaign ended in the group stage after difficult matches against Spain, Japan, and Brazil.
Imhonlamhen
Imhonlamhen is a football writer and editor at Soccernet.ng with over six years’ experience shaping its editorial voice. A lifelong Arsenal and Super Eagles fan, he combines engineering precision with training in journalism and digital media. He has covered four AFCONs and two Women’s AFCON tournaments, specialising in Super Eagles history and tracking Nigerian players worldwide, while keeping a close eye on the NPFL and emerging homegrown talents.
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