PREVIEW
Nigeria and Zambia are the only two African women’s football teams to represent the continent in the 2024 Paris Olympics.
The Super Falcons successfully made their way to France after brushing aside old foes South Africa 1-0 on aggregate following a scoreless draw in the final round of their qualification clash.
Before that, in the first leg, Nigeria beat Banyana Banyana 1-0 at Moshood Abiola National Stadium to carry the aggregate advantage.
🏁FULL TIME! in Pretoria 📍
— NGSuper_Falcons (@NGSuper_Falcons) April 9, 2024
South Africa 🇿🇦 0-0 Nigeria 🇳🇬 (0-1 agg)
Nigeria breaks the Olympic jinx since 2008 with a 1-0 aggregate victory over South Africa, securing qualification! We are through to @Paris2024 🎉
📱#SoarSuperFalcons| #RSANGA| #CAFWCQ| #Paris2024 pic.twitter.com/GwFeLSwFBv
The 11-time Women's Africa Cup of Nations champions are Africa's most successful women's football team.
They remain the only women's national team from the Confederation of African Football to make a cut in the quarterfinals of the Fifa Women's World Cup and the Olympics.
Randy Waldrum’s charges are also the only African team to have qualified for every edition of the Fifa Women's World Cup.
Meanwhile, the Copper Queens outsmarted Morocco 2-0 and 3-2 on aggregate to secure a berth in the Paris Olympics.
This will be their second appearance in the Summer Olympics.
They proved to be another strong African women’s football team when they debuted in the 2023 Fifa Women's World Cup, becoming the first non-coastal nation in Africa to qualify for a senior World Cup in either men's or women's soccer.
It. WAS. NEVER. IN. DOUBT! On se voit à Paris!#MORZAM #WeAreCopperQueens #Paris2024 #OlympicQualifiers pic.twitter.com/NRkFuSqfL7
— FAZ (@FAZFootball) April 10, 2024
Nigeria and Zambia join ten nations to compete at the Olympics. The 12 teams are split into three groups of four.
Nigeria, who will be making their fourth appearance at the Olympics, are pitted against Spain, Japan and Brazil in Group C.
Zambia face tough opponents in Group B.
Bruce Mwape’s charges will face off against the United States Women’s National Team (four times Olympic Champions) the Germany (Rio 2016 gold-medal winners) and Australia (2023 Fifa World Cup semifinalist).
Welcome to the club, Nigeria and Zambia. 🇳🇬🇿🇲
— FIFA Women's World Cup (@FIFAWWC) April 10, 2024
The #Paris2024 field is SET! 🔐 pic.twitter.com/oRFG7d4aEd
TEAM PROFILE
NIGERIA:
The Super Falcons will be returning to compete for the fourth time since they last played in this tournament in Beijing in 2008.
Before that they qualified twice for the Games in Sydney in 2000 and in the Athens Games in 2004 where they secured better results – the quarterfinal finish, the best tournament showing recorded by an African nation to date.
Group: C
Head Coach: Randy Waldrum
Olympics Appearances: 3, at Sydney 2000, Athens 2004, Beijing 2008
Olympics best results: Quarterfinals in Athens 2004
🇳🇬 @NGSuper_Falcons announce their squad list for #Paris2024! 🔥
— CAF Women’s Football (@CAFwomen) July 5, 2024
The player to shine the most is _____. 🤩 pic.twitter.com/KZuFY3tQot
ZAMBIA
The Copper Queens will feature in their second Olympics. Their first was at the Tokyo 2020 Games.
The then tournament newbies faced tough encounters and only managed to get one point in three outings.
They suffered a 10-3 defeat at the hands of the Netherlands, followed by a 4-4 draw with China PR before being knocked out 2-1 by Brazil .
Group: B
Head Coach: Bruce Mwape
Olympics Appearances: 1, Tokyo 2020
Olympics best results: Group stages
Team: ✅@FAZfootball’s squad list for #Paris2024 is here. How far will our ladies go at the Olympics? ☄️ pic.twitter.com/jUC8JRmALS
— CAF Women’s Football (@CAFwomen) July 5, 2024
PLAYERS TO WATCH
Nigeria:
Asisat Oshoala: The Bay FC forward is undeniably one of the most talented African woman footballers. She has been awarded CAF African Women’s Player of the Year for a record of six times.
Oshoala became the first Nigerian footballer - male or female - to score in three different World Cup tournaments
In 2021, when she was still playing for Barcelona, Oshoala became the first African woman to win the Uefa Champions League, following their 4-0 triumph over Chelsea in the finals.
In 2022 she became the first African woman to be nominated to the Ballon d'Or Féminin.
Rasheedat Ajibade: Affectionally known as Rash with her famous colourful hairstyle, Ajibade started playing for Nigeria in the Under-17 Fifa Women’s World Cup in 2014 where she netted three goals in the tournament.
She also captained Nigeria in the Under-17 Fifa World Cup in 2016 and played in the Under-20 World Cup in the same year.
During the CAF Olympic qualifiers for the Paris 2024 Olympics, Ajibade scored a vital penalty in their match against South Africa.
ZAMBIA:
Barbara Banda: As of July 2021 The Orlando Pride forward is Africa's all-time top scorer in Olympic history.
In 2021, she became the first woman footballer in Olympic history to score back-to-back hat-tricks and the first to score two hat-tricks in one tournament.
In 2020, she was the top scorer in the Chinese Women's Super League.
In September 2022, Banda led Zambia to win their debut victory in the 2022 COSAFA Women's Cup.
In the tournament, she scored a tremendous 10 goals which earned her a Golden Ball Award.
Racheal Kundananji: She began her career in the homeland and she parachuted to be the world’s most expensive player when she moved from Spain to the USA, signing for NWSL club Bay FC in February this year.
Kundananji has been an integral member of the Zambian squad that came through to reach their first-ever Games at Tokyo 2020.
She was named to Zambia's squad for the 2023 Fifa Women's World Cup in New Zealand and Australia. She scored a goal against Germany in a 3–2 upset win against the two-time World Cup champions.
FIXTURES
Nigeria
Thursday, 25 July: Nigeria v Brazil - Stade de Bordeaux
Sunday, 28 July: Spain v Nigeria - Stade de la Beaujoire, Nantes
Wednesday, 31 July: Japan v Nigeria - Stade de la Beaujoire, Nantes
Zambia
Thursday, 25 July: USA v Zambia - Stade de Nice
Sunday, 28 July: Australia v Zambia - Stade de Nice
Wednesday, 31 July: Zambia v Germany - Stade Geoffroy-Guichard, Saint-Etienne