International Football
Cup holders Nigeria seek spot at Morocco 2022 Women AFCON finals
Nine –time champions and Cup holders Nigeria say they are battle-ready as the stage is set for Friday’s 2022 Women Africa Cup of Nations final qualifying round encounter against the Lady Elephants of Cote d’Ivoire in Abuja.
A narrow 2-1 aggregate win over Ghana’s Black Queens saw the Super Falcons to this stage, where they face high-scoring Lady Elephants who mauled their counterparts from Niger Republic 20-0 on aggregate in the previous round. The Lady Elephants contingent arrived in Nigeria on Monday night.
Most of the players invited by Coach Randy Waldrum have been at a training camp in Abuja, and Waldrum says the girls are fully aware of the importance of the big match.
“Every player in camp is aware of the high importance of these two matches against Cote d’Ivoire. We must win to get to the Women AFCON where the African teams for the FIFA Women’s World Cup will emerge. It is one step at a time, but we all know that we must win well in Abuja on Friday.”
Friday’s encounter, which kicks off at 4pm, is the first game the Super Falcons will play at the MKO Abiola Stadium since defeating their Senegalese counterparts 2-0 in April 2016, in the final qualifying round of the 10th Women AFCON finals held in Cameroon.
Veteran defender Onome Ebi said the Nigerian girls are highly motivated for the encounter on several fronts, including reaching Morocco 2022 to defend their continental crown, having the opportunity to qualify for the FIFA Women’s World Cup and avenging a bitter loss to the Ivorians in the qualifying race for the 2020 Olympic Women’s Football Tournament.
“These two matches are going to be tough; they would be like the Final of the Women AFCON itself. The Ivorians stopped us from the race to the Olympics. We also know that it is by being in Morocco that we can defend our crown and also qualify for the Women’s World Cup. We are battle –ready.”
The 12-team 12th Women AFCON finals, which hold in Morocco 2nd – 23rd July, will see all four semi-finalists qualify for the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup, to be co-hosted by Australia and New Zealand. It is the first Women’s World Cup to entertain 32 teams – same number as the men’s finals.
Hosts Morocco and Uganda, who reached the finals following the withdrawal of Kenya, have already qualified, leaving 10 teams to emerge from a 20-team final round that begins on Wednesday this week and will be concluded on Wednesday next week.
After their encounter in Abuja on Friday, the Super Falcons and the Lady Elephants have a potentially –explosive final leg duel inside the Stade Robert Champroux in Abidjan on Wednesday next week.
ALL THE MATCHES
Wednesday 16 February:
- Burundi Vs Djibouti
- Zambia Vs Namibia
- Guinea-Bissau Vs Burkina Faso
- Senegal Vs Mali
Thursday 17 February
- Togo Vs Gabon
Friday 18 February:
- Zimbabwe Vs Botswana
- South Africa Vs Algeria
- Tunisia Vs Equatorial Guinea
- Cameroon Vs The Gambia
- Nigeria Vs Cote d’Ivoire
Brazil will round off their 2025 calendar with two friendly matches in Europe next month, taking on Senegal and Tunisia as part of their preparations for the 2026 World Cup, the Brazilian FA (CBF) announced on Thursday.
The five-time world champions, managed by Carlo Ancelotti, will face Senegal on November 15 at Emirates Stadium in London and, three days later, they will meet Tunisia in Lille, France.
The CBF announced that these fixtures were designed to “provide the team with valuable experience against African opposition” ahead of next year’s tournament in North America.
After the conclusion of the South American qualifiers, the choice of opponents follows October’s encounters against Asian teams, which saw Brazil beat South Korea 5-0 but suffer a stunning first defeat to Japan.
With coach Ancelotti facing limited preparation time after arriving in May from Real Madrid, the matches form part of a broader plan to expose Brazil to a variety of playing styles in preparation for next year’s the World Cup.
Looking ahead to March 2026, the CBF has indicated that Brazil’s next set of friendlies will likely be against top-level European nations, with the U.S. as the expected venue.
Ancelotti has been steadily implementing his vision for the squad and has emphasised the importance of adapting to diverse tactical challenges, particularly against teams from other continents.
CBF sources indicated that the plan for the three remaining international breaks would be to make final observations regarding players and tactical adjustments in November, lock in the starting line-up in March and strengthen ties with Brazilian fans with a final friendly at Rio de Janeiro’s Maracana before departing for the tournament.
The upcoming friendlies against Senegal and Tunisia will provide an opportunity to test Brazil’s readiness against two of Africa’s strongest sides.
Senegal boast a formidable squad featuring Sadio Mane, Nicolas Jackson and Kalidou Koulibaly. They shocked Brazil 4-2 in their last encounter, a friendly played in Lisbon two years ago.
Tunisia, meanwhile, are known for their defensive organisation and have consistently performed well in African competitions.
Back in September they were the second African team to qualify for the 2026 World Cup with two games to spare.
-Reuters
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Well-travelled Portuguese coach Paulo Duarte has been named as Guinea’s new coach, less than a month before their next round of World Cup qualifiers.
Duarte, 56, has twice previously coached Burkina Faso and taken charge of Gabon and Togo, while also coaching at clubs in Portugal, France, Tunisia, Angola and Saudi Arabia.
Guinea’s football federation gave no contract details when they made the announcement on Monday, but said they would be looking for Duarte to “restructure their national team”.
Guinea trail leaders Algeria by eight points in their World Cup qualifying group with four games remaining, leaving them with only a slim chance of qualification.
They play Somalia away on September 5 and then Algeria at home on September 8 in their next two qualifiers although a stadium ban means Guinea have moved their home game to Casablanca, Morocco.
-Reuters
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Veteran coach Louis van Gaal says he has been cured of cancer and is keen for a return to the higher levels of the game.
The 73-year-old announced three years ago that he was suffering from prostate cancer, but told a Dutch television talk show, “I’m no longer bothered by cancer.”
When he announced his illness, Van Gaal was the coach of the Dutch national team, but he has not worked since the last World Cup in Qatar in 2022.
“Two years ago, I had a few operations. It was all bad then. But it all worked out in the end. I have check-ups every few months, and that’s going well. I’m getting fitter and fitter,” he said.
Van Gaal, whose career has included stints at Ajax Amsterdam, Barcelona, Bayern Munich and Manchester United, reiterated a lack of interest in returning to club management but said becoming the national coach of a top-tier country could tempt him back.
He now serves as a special advisor to Ajax.
-Reuters
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