Nigeria's Super Falcons have a tough test ahead, as they aim to banish the ghosts of the past by qualifying for the Olympic Games for the first time since 2008.
Randy Waldrum's troops will face South Africa in a two-legged final Olympic qualifying playoff, with the first leg scheduled for Abuja on Friday, April 5, 2024.
While the Super Falcons are slight favourites, Banyana Banyana have proven in recent years that they are much closer to the West Africans than many actually realise. Nigeria have dominated women’s football for many decades now, but South Africa have caught up so fast, establishing themselves as a dominant force on the continent at both club and international levels.
Although the Super Falcons remain the most successful African side, Banyana Banyana are the reigning champions of the Women’s Africa Cup of Nations (WAFCON) and impressively reached the round of 16 of the FIFA Women’s World Cup in Australia and New Zealand last year.
Based on current form too, Desiree Ellis' side have momentum on their side, having not lost a game since October 2023. So, while Nigeria have history on their side, South Africa are currently the team to beat and will be going into Friday’s game full of confidence after comfortably dispatching Tanzania in the previous round.
Super Falcons’ last three failed Olympics qualifications
Ahead of the blockbuster final Olympic qualifier between Nigeria and South Africa, Afrik-Foot takes a look at the Super Falcons' last three failed attempts at qualifying for the quadrennial showpiece:
Super Falcons crash out of 2012 Olympic qualification to Cameroon
Nigeria failed to book their place at the female football event of the London 2012 Olympics after disappointingly falling to rivals Cameroon.
The Super Falcons had seized the momentum from the first leg after beating Cameroon 2-1 at home, but the Lionesses overturned the result in Yaounde when they defeated Nigeria by the same scoreline, taking the game to penalties.
Cameroon ended up triumphing 4-3 in the ensuing shootout after Gloria Iroka and Faith Ikidi missed their kicks, as Uche Eucharia’s side missed out on Olympic qualification.
Equatorial Guinea knock Nigeria out of 2016 Olympics
In August 2015, Nigeria went into the qualification for the Rio 2016 Olympic football tournament as champions of Africa.
However, they were shocked by Equatorial Guinea in the third round of qualifiers. Having been held to a 1-1 draw at home, the Super Falcons suffered a 2-1 defeat in the reverse fixture in Bata to crash out via a 3-2 aggregate loss.
Nigeria’s defeat saw Equatorial Guinea advance to the final round of qualifiers, where they locked horns against South Africa’s Banyana Banyana for a slot at the Olympics. It also marked back-to-back failures by the Super Falcons to qualify for the Olympic Games following their disappointing output in 2012.
Super Falcons fall to Ivory Coast in 2020 Olympic qualifiers
October 2019 also marked a dark period for women’s football in Nigeria when the Super Falcons failed to once again qualify for the Olympic Games – via away goals.
This was after they were held to a 1-1 draw by Ivory Coast in front of their home fans at the Agege stadium in Lagos. The 11-time African champions were huge favourites to advance after playing out a goalless draw with their opponents in Abidjan in the first leg.
However, Nigeria couldn’t produce the goods at home after making a slow start to the second leg that saw them fall behind after just 12 minutes. Although the Super Falcons fought their way back to snatch the equaliser through Asisat Oshoala, they could not find the winner.
The 1-1 draw saw Nigeria fail to qualify for the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, marking their third successive elimination.
