Nigeria’s Super Falcons discover path to Los Angeles 2028 Olympic qualification

The Nigeria Football Federation has outlined the route the Super Falcons must negotiate to reach the 2028 Olympic Games in Los Angeles, with the 10-time African champions needing to come through four rounds of two-legged knockout ties to secure one of Africa’s two places at the Women’s Olympic Football Tournament.

Nigeria will begin their qualifying campaign in the second round against Comoros, with both matches scheduled to take place at Remo Stars Stadium in Ikenne-Remo on 9 and 13 October respectively.

The Super Falcons were given a bye into the second round as one of the three highest-ranked teams in the African qualifying competition. Comoros earned their place at this stage after a comprehensive 30-0 aggregate victory over Sudan.

The Nigeria Football Federation said it was confident the Super Falcons could claim successive qualification for the Olympic tournament, having featured at the 2024 Games in Paris.

Nigeria’s immediate task is to overcome Comoros across the two legs. If they do so, they will advance to the third round, which is scheduled to be played between 23 February and 6 March 2027.

At that stage, the Falcons will face either DR Congo or Morocco.

A place in the fourth round would bring another two-match tie, with Nigeria drawn to meet one of Tunisia, Senegal, Benin Republic or Mali. Those fixtures are due to take place between 4 and 12 October 2027.

The final round of the African qualifying competition is scheduled for 23 November to 4 December 2027. Nigeria would face one of Guinea, Cameroon, DR Congo, Cote d’Ivoire, Central African Republic, Algeria or Burkina Faso in that stage.

Only two African teams will qualify for the Olympic women’s football tournament in Los Angeles, meaning the Super Falcons must successfully negotiate every round of the knockout route to secure their place.

The qualification process follows Nigeria’s return to the Olympic stage at Paris 2024. The federation has now provided a clear outline of the challenge facing the team as it seeks to make another consecutive appearance at the Games.

For now, the focus is firmly on the tie against Comoros. With both matches to be played at Remo Stars Stadium, the Falcons will need to emerge from the second round before turning their attention to the sequence of fixtures that lies ahead in 2027.