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A stroll in the park for Super Falcons as road to WAFCON kicks-off today

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Nigeria’s Super Falcons have strolled into the next round of the qualifying series for   Women’s Africa Cup of Nations Morocco 2024 which  officially kick-off today.

Nigeria’s opponents, Sao Tome & Principe have pulled out  as the qualifiers get underway. They now await the aggregate winners of Cape Verde and Liberia.

For the 2024 edition, 40 Nations will enter the qualifying stages. In the first qualifying round, teams will play two matches against each other. The winner of the two matches will qualify for the second round, scheduled for November 2023.

In this stage of the qualification phase, two countries will be exempted. They are South Africa and Zambia, respectively reigning African champions and bronze medallists.

Qualifiers Schedule

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First Round: 20 – 26 September 2023

Second Round: 27 November – 05 December 2023

First-Round Fixtures

  • 09.2023: Senegal – Mozambique | 17h00 GMT – Thies/Stade lat-Dior
  • 09.2023: Egypt – South Sudan | 16h00 GMT – Petro Sports Stadium, Cairo
  • 09.2023: Central African Republic – Mali | 13h00 GMT – Stade de la Reunification de Douala
  • 09.2023: Guinea – Mauritius | 15h00 GMT – Stade General Lansana Conte, Nongo
  • 09.2023: Nigeria – São Tomé and Príncipe (Match cancelled due to withdrawal of  Soe Tome. Nigeria qualifies for next round)
  • 09.2023: Cape Verde – Liberia | 17h00 GMT – Estadio Nacional “Blue Shark” Cabo Verde
  • 09.2023: Uganda – Algeria | 15h00 GMT – FUFA Technical Centre, Jinja
  • 09.2023: Burundi – Ethiopia | 14h00 GMT – Abebe Bekila Stadium, Addis Ababa
  • 09.2023: Equatorial Guinea – Libya (Match cancelled due to withdrawal of Libya. Equatorial Guinea qualifies for the next round)
  • 09.2023: DR Congo – Benin | 14h30 GMT – Complexe Omnisports Stade des Martyrs, Kinshasa
  • 09.2023: Cote d’Ivoire – Tanzania | 15h30 GMT – Stade de Yamoussoukro, Yamoussoukro
  • 09.2023: Djibouti – Togo | 14h30 GMT – Stade de Kegue de Lome, Lome
  • 09.2023: Rwanda – Ghana | 13h00 GMT – Kigali Pele Stadium, Kigali
  • 09.2023: Gambia – Namibia | 15h00 GMT Stade El Abdi, El Jadida
  • 09.2023: Cameroon – Kenya | 18h00 GMT Stade de la Reunification de Douala, Douala
  • 09.2023: Gabon – Botswana |  14h30 GMT – Stade de la Renovation de Franceville
  • 09.2023: Tunisia – Niger | 15h00 GMT – Stade de Solimane, Solimane
  • 09.2023: Guinea Bissau – Congo | 15h30 –  Estadio 24 de Setembro, Bissau
  • 09.2023: Angola – Sudan (Match cancelled due to withdrawal of Sudan. Angola qualifies for the next round)
  • 09.2023 Eswatini – Burkina Faso | 14h00 GMT – Somhlolo National Stadium, Lobamba

 

Women’s AFCON Prize money:

Position Prize Money
Winner USD 500 000
Runner up USD 300 000
Semi-finalists (2) USD 225 000 x 2
Quarterfinalists (4) USD 175 000 x 4
3rd of the group USD 150 000 x 1
4th of the group (3) USD 100 000 x 3
TOTAL USD 2 400 000

 

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Kunle Solaja is the author of landmark books on sports and journalism as well as being a multiple award-winning journalist and editor of long standing. He is easily Nigeria’s foremost soccer diarist and Africa's most capped FIFA World Cup journalist, having attended all FIFA World Cup finals from Italia ’90 to Qatar 2022. He was honoured at the Qatar 2022 World Cup by FIFA and AIPS.

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WOMEN'S FOOTBALL

Flamingos Set for Morocco 2025 as Nigeria’s U-17s Depart Abuja for Final World Cup Preparations

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Nigeria’s U-17 women’s national team, the Flamingos, will depart Abuja in the early hours of Wednesday, October 8, as they begin the final leg of preparations for the 2025 FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup scheduled to take place in Morocco.

The team will travel aboard Royal Air Maroc to Casablanca, Morocco’s industrial and economic hub, where they will set up camp ahead of the tournament.

During their stay in Casablanca, the Flamingos will step up their build-up programme with two high-profile international friendlies — first against New Zealand on October 10, and then Paraguay on October 14.

Following their training camp, the team will move into the official FIFA hotel in Rabat on October 15, joining other participating nations as the countdown begins to the global showpiece.

Drawn in Group D, Nigeria will face Canada, France, and Samoa in what promises to be a competitive group. The Flamingos will begin their campaign against Canada on Sunday, October 19, before locking horns with France three days later.

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Both matches will be played at the Football Academy Mohammed VI in Sale, with kickoff set for 8 p.m. Nigerian time. Their final group match comes against Samoa on October 25, starting at 5 p.m., also in Sale.

Head Coach Bankole Olowookere’s side heads into the tournament brimming with confidence after a remarkable build-up.

The Flamingos have played 10 tune-up games, scoring an impressive 44 goals without conceding any, a record that highlights their attacking prowess and defensive discipline.

Olowookere has expressed optimism about his team’s readiness, noting that the squad’s balance and form give them belief they can surpass their quarter-final finish at the last edition in the Dominican Republic.

With a perfect preparation run and growing momentum, the Flamingos will be aiming to make history in Morocco and bring pride to Nigerian women’s football once again.

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WOMEN'S FOOTBALL

Flamingos in Fiery Form as They Conclude World Cup Preparations in Abuja

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Shakirat Moshood riding on fellow forward Aisha Animashaun during one of the qualifying matches. 

Nigeria’s U17 Women’s National Team, the Flamingos, are rounding off their preparations for the 2025 FIFA U17 Women’s World Cup in Morocco with a string of dominant performances that underscore their growing confidence and team chemistry.

In a remarkable build-up campaign, the Flamingos have played eight friendly matches in Abuja, winning all and maintaining a perfect defensive record. The team has scored 26 goals without conceding, a run that has lifted morale and heightened expectations ahead of their World Cup challenge.

Last week, the team showcased their attacking prowess with a convincing 3–0 victory over Abuja All-Stars.

Praise Agba opened the scoring from a loose ball, Olamide Olanrewaju doubled the lead from the penalty spot, and Zainab Raji sealed the win with a thunderous strike shortly after the restart. Goalkeeper Sylvia Echefu was outstanding between the sticks, producing several key saves to preserve another clean sheet.

Earlier, the Flamingos overcame a rain-disrupted clash against Josiah Academy, running out 2–0 winners courtesy of a Chisom Nwachukwu brace within the opening 10 minutes before the downpour forced an early end to proceedings.

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The girls also recorded emphatic wins over Nazareth Angels (5–0), with Queen Joseph bagging a brace and goals from Praise Agba, Mariam Yahaya, and Chisom Nwachukwu; and Horvel Prime (5–0), where Joseph netted a first-half hat-trick, while captain Shakirat Moshood and Azeezat Oduntan added one apiece.

Across all their tune-up matches, the Flamingos have demonstrated an impressive balance — clinical in attack, disciplined in midfield, and solid at the back — as they fine-tune for global competition.

Drawn in Group D alongside Canada, France, and Samoa, Nigeria will depart for Morocco on October 8, aiming to carry their perfect form into the tournament, which runs from October 17 to November 8.

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Falconets Edge She-Amavubi as Nigeria Extends Winning Run Over Rwanda

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Nigeria’s U20 women’s team, the Falconets, continued the country’s dominance over Rwanda on the international football stage by securing a 1–0 victory in Kigali on Sunday in the first leg of their 2026 FIFA U20 Women’s World Cup second-round qualifier.

The narrow win comes against the backdrop of two recent triumphs by the Super Eagles over Rwanda in the men’s 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifying series, underlining Nigeria’s growing hold in encounters with the East Africans.

At the Kigali-Pele Stadium in Nyamirambo, both sides battled fiercely in a goalless first half, with chances at a premium. The breakthrough arrived in the 70th minute when Alaba Olabiyi bundled the ball home from a goalmouth scramble after a Falconets corner. The strike proved enough to hand Coach Moses Aduku a winning start in his first competitive game in charge of the team.

With the victory, the Falconets carry a slim but valuable advantage into the return leg at the Lekan Salami Stadium, Ibadan, on Saturday, where they will be backed by home support as they push for a place in the next round of qualifiers.

The team’s delegation is expected back in Nigeria on Monday morning to begin preparations for the decisive clash.

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