The Super Falcons have turned their attention to the 2028 Olympic Games after a disappointing 2026 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations campaign left Nigeria with plenty to prove.
Nigeria will begin their journey towards the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic Games in October when they face Comoros in the second round of the African qualifying series.
The Falcons received a bye through the opening round after being ranked among Africa’s top three teams, meaning their Olympic campaign will begin with a two-legged clash against Comoros.
The first leg is scheduled for October 9, with the return fixture taking place on October 13. Both matches will be played at the Remo Stars Stadium in Ikenne-Remo.
Nigeria are aiming to qualify for their second consecutive Olympic women’s football tournament.
The Super Falcons ended a 16-year wait to return to the Olympics when they qualified for Paris 2024. Their next objective is to make sure that appearance was not a one-off.
The road to Los Angeles, however, will require Nigeria to navigate a demanding African qualifying campaign.
Only two African teams will eventually qualify for the women’s football tournament at the 2028 Olympics, making every round crucial for the Super Falcons.
Nigeria’s first obstacle will be Comoros, who secured their place in the second round after an extraordinary 30-0 aggregate victory over Sudan in the opening round.
Despite that result, the Super Falcons will be expected to progress given their experience, history and quality at continental level.
A successful two-legged tie would send Nigeria into the third round, where they would face the winner of the meeting between DR Congo and Morocco.
Those matches are scheduled for February 23 to March 6, 2027.
The level of competition will increase if Nigeria continue to advance, the fourth round is scheduled for October 4-12, 2027, with potential opponents including Tunisia, Senegal, Benin Republic and Mali.
The final qualifying round will then be played between November 23 and December 4, 2027.
At that stage, Nigeria could face some of Africa’s strongest teams, including Cameroon, Guinea, Côte d’Ivoire, Algeria, Burkina Faso or the Central African Republic.
For the Super Falcons, there is little room for another setback, the Olympic campaign comes after one of the most disappointing periods in recent Super Falcons history.
Nigeria entered the 2026 WAFCON as defending champions but suffered a shock 3-2 defeat to Malawi in their opening group game.
They recovered with victories over Zambia and Egypt to reach the quarter-finals, only to lose 1-0 to Cameroon.
That defeat ended Nigeria’s hopes of defending their continental crown and also prevented them from securing automatic qualification for the 2027 FIFA Women’s World Cup.
The disappointment continued in the World Cup play-off, where Nigeria suffered a 2-1 defeat to South Africa, ending their hopes of reaching the 2027 World Cup through the African route.
The setbacks have increased pressure on the team to respond quickly.
The Olympic qualifiers now give the Super Falcons an opportunity to put the WAFCON disappointment behind them.
Nigeria still possess considerable experience, including players who featured at the Paris 2024 Olympics, while the emergence of younger talents continues to provide depth.
The immediate challenge is to make sure Comoros do not cause another upset.
For a team accustomed to competing for African titles and major tournament qualification, the Olympic route provides a chance to restore confidence and begin a new chapter.
The target is simple: navigate four knockout rounds and secure one of Africa’s two tickets to Los Angeles.
After a difficult WAFCON campaign, the Super Falcons now have another major objective in front of them and another opportunity to show that Nigeria’s women’s football remains a force to be reckoned with.
