The Super Falcons will have to put their recent disappointment behind them and negotiate four rounds of African qualifying ties if they want to return to the Olympic Games, with Nigeria set to begin the road to Los Angeles 2028 against Comoros in October, Footynaija.com reports.
The Nigeria Football Federation has outlined the route the 10-time African champions must take to secure one of Africa’s two places at the Women’s Olympic Football Tournament, with the first two matches against Comoros scheduled for October 9 and 13 at the Remo Stars Stadium in Ikenne-Remo.
The timing gives the Falcons another target to focus on after a difficult few weeks. Nigeria entered the 2026 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations as defending champions but lost 1-0 to Cameroon in the quarter-finals, ending their title defence before the semi-finals and denying them an automatic place at the 2027 Women’s World Cup. They later lost 2-1 to South Africa in the WAFCON play-off.
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Now the Olympic qualification campaign offers a fresh competition, but there is no easy route through it.
Falcons face four rounds for Olympic ticket
Nigeria will start from the second round because they were one of the three highest-ranked teams in the African qualifying competition. That means the Falcons avoided the opening round, but they still have to win four successive two-legged knockout ties to reach Los Angeles.
Their first test is Comoros. The Island nation reached the second round after an extraordinary 30-0 aggregate victory over Sudan. The Falcons will host both legs in Ikenne-Remo, with the first meeting on October 9 and the return fixture four days later.
On paper, it gives Nigeria a favourable starting point. But the format means there is no group-stage cushion. A poor two-leg tie can end the campaign.
If the Falcons beat Comoros, the challenge becomes much tougher.
The third round will take place between February 23 and March 6, 2027. Nigeria will face either DR Congo or Morocco, two teams with enough quality to make the next stage a serious test.
The fourth round follows from October 4 to 12, 2027. Tunisia, Senegal, Benin Republic or Mali could stand between Nigeria and the final stage.
The decisive round will be held from November 23 to December 4, 2027.
At that point, only four teams will remain in the African race, with two Olympic tickets available. Nigeria could meet Guinea, Cameroon, DR Congo, Côte d’Ivoire, Central African Republic, Algeria or Burkina Faso.
