Super Falcons Set for Showdown in Douala as Coach Waldrum Eyes Paris 2024 Olympics Qualification

Coach Randy Waldrum is set to lead the Super Falcons to Douala for the penultimate round of qualifiers in a crucial step towards Paris 2024 Olympics qualification. The Nigerian delegation is scheduled to depart for Douala this evening, intensifying preparations for the first leg of the qualifying tie against Cameroon on Friday.

The Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) confirmed that all invited players, except for Tony Payne and Uchenna Kanu, had arrived at the team’s Abuja camp as of yesterday afternoon. The duo was expected to join the squad last night. Waldrum, who last managed the Super Falcons during the 2023 Women’s World Cup in New Zealand/Australia, has selected a 21-player squad for the crucial tie.

The team will travel to Douala and return to Abuja on Sunday morning for the return leg against the Lionesses at the MKO Abiola National Stadium on Monday evening. Ahead of the departure, Coach Waldrum and his assistants are set to lead the full squad in a training session at the main bowl of MKO Abiola National Stadium this evening.

Official training at the Stade de la Reunification in Douala is scheduled for tomorrow evening. Success in the two-legged tie against Cameroon would bring Nigeria a step closer to its first appearance in the Women’s Olympic football event in 16 years.

The last time the Super Falcons participated in the Women’s Olympic football event was in China in 2008. Cameroon, Friday’s opponent, played a pivotal role in Nigeria’s absence from the London 2012 edition, securing victory through a penalty shootout. Subsequent attempts at qualifying for Rio 2016 and Tokyo 2020 were thwarted by Equatorial Guinea and Cote d’Ivoire, respectively.

After eliminating Ethiopia in the second round of the series, the Super Falcons must navigate the Cameroonian challenge to progress to the final round of the African qualification series. Success in Douala would set the stage for a fierce showdown in two months’ time, as the team aims to secure its place in the Paris 2024 Olympics women’s football event.