By Milcah Tanimu
The Super Falcons of Nigeria are poised to potentially face formidable opponents such as world champions Spain, Brazil, and Japan in the women’s football tournament at the 2024 Olympic Games set to take place in Paris.
Having last qualified for the Olympic Games 16 years ago during the 2008 tournament in Beijing, Nigeria must overcome one final hurdle by defeating South Africa in the final round of the African qualifiers. The crucial matches are scheduled to be played over two legs between April 1 and 9, with Morocco and Zambia also vying for a spot in the tournament in the other African qualifying game.
The tournament’s draw has revealed challenging groups, with host country France aiming to emulate the United States’ feat in 1996 as the only host nation to secure gold. France will contend with holders Canada, Colombia, and New Zealand, the co-host of the 2023 Women’s World Cup, in Group A.
Groups B and C present daunting prospects, with the USA and Germany drawn in the former, while Brazil is set to clash with Spain in the latter.
Scheduled to kick off on July 25, one day prior to the Olympic Games’ opening ceremony, the women’s tournament will culminate with the final match in Paris on August 10. The top two teams from each group will advance to the quarterfinals, along with the two best third-placed teams.
Meanwhile, Nigeria’s men’s team has suffered a setback as they failed to qualify for the Olympic Games for the second consecutive time. The team’s last appearance was at the Rio 2016 Games, where they secured a bronze medal, adding to their podium finishes at Atlanta 1996 (gold) and Beijing 2008 (silver).
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