Olympics
EXCLUSIVE! Behold how Brazil will play against Super Falcons in Paris 2024 opener
KUNLE SOLAJA.
Nigeria’s women football team, Super Falcons are returning to the Olympic Games 16 years after their last participation. Sports Village Square recalls that the team is starting from where they ended – a clash with Brazil.
The Brazilians were the last team the Super Facons faced at Beijing 2008. This time, they are meeting at Bordeaux in just 24 days from now.
Sports Village Square investigates the Brazilian team which the Super Falcons will face at Stade de Bordeaux.
Brazil have a nice mix of star quality with experience, as well as a number of promising youth players expecting to make the squad.
Their new coach, Arthur Elias, joined the team after last year’s World Cup and has since led Brazil to a final in the Gold Cup earlier in the year.
The team looks on the up, and with Brazil recently being announced as the next hosts of the Women’s World Cup, there is plenty of optimism among the nation about its future.
Following Brazil’s women’s Copa America win in 2022, they sealed their spot at the Olympics and are now placed in a group along with Spain, Japan and Nigeria.
Their current group is tough, but with a third-place spot potentially being enough to qualify, Brazil expect to reach the knockout stages. The team operates a 3-4-2-1 formation.
There are several experienced heads in the Brazil squad. Seven of the players are 30 years old or older, which would have given them numerous attempts at both the World Cup and the Olympics in the past.
A further six of the starting eleven for Brazil are in their prime years of their career, between 27 and 30 years old.
This mix of experience, peak performers, and several young stars joining the team makes an exciting combination, shaping up a side ready to battle at the Olympics in the perfect conditions and balance of the squad.
Information gleaned from the publication of Total Football Analysis focuses on Brazil women’s team since Elias took charge in October of last year, and how he has been setting his team up in the past few months.
His most likely starting line-up against the Super Falcons runs thus: Luciano, a 37-year old will be in goal following her strong showing in the Gold Cup earlier this year. In 12 league games for her club, Ferroviaria, she conceded five goals showing the strong form .
Antonia Silva is expected to start at the right side of the back three. She has performed the role in 14 of the coach’s 15 games in charge. In the heart of defence – the centre of the back three, 21-year-old Lauren will likely play.
At left centre-back, Rafaelle has regularly featured in the role. After swapping Arsenal in England’s FA Women’s Super Leaguen for Orlando Pride, she is currently part of the defence which has only conceded eleven goals in thirteen league games.
Adriana, Rafaelle’s teammate, will likely hold the width on the right flank, playing as the wing-back, although she is an attacking-minded player.
Duda Sampaio of Corinthians is reportedly helping her club dominate the league with 12 wins in the 13 opening games of the season from the centre of the pitch.
Although she is a more attack-minded option, her partner, Duda Santos, will attempt to provide some balance. At left wing-back, Yasmim, a natural left-back, will play.
Bia Zaneratto is expected to start on the right-hand side in the front three.
The front three will remain fairly narrow, so even though she has often started as the centre forward for her club and managed nine goal contributions in eight league starts, the role will be fairly similar for Brazil.
On the left side, 38-year-old Brazil legend Marta is expected to play, although she missed the Gold Cup earlier in the year.
Gabi Nunes will lead the line at centre forward after 11 goals in 23 starts for Levante in the Spanish Primera Division.
By Kunle Solaja.
Nigeria’s senior women’s national team, the Super Falcons, will begin their campaign for a place at the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic Games from the second round of the African qualifiers after being granted a bye in the opening stage.
The draw, conducted on Wednesday in Cairo by the Confederation of African Football (CAF), placed Nigeria among 29 higher-ranked teams exempted from the first round of the series.
The Super Falcons will take on the winner of the first-round clash between South Sudan and Comoros in their opening fixture of the qualifiers.
A total of 35 nations are competing for just two available slots allocated to Africa for the women’s football tournament at the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic Games, underlining the intensity and high stakes of the qualification process.
The qualifiers will be contested over five knockout rounds on a home-and-away basis, leaving little room for error as teams battle for continental representation on the global stage.
The first round involves the six lowest-ranked teams—Sudan, Mauritius, Djibouti, South Sudan, Madagascar and Comoros—based on the latest FIFA Women’s World Rankings. Winners from this stage will advance to face each other again before the 29 seeded teams, including Nigeria, enter the fray.
Nigeria will be aiming to consolidate their status among Africa’s elite women’s football nations, having qualified for the most recent Olympic tournament alongside Zambia at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.
Although the Super Falcons boast a notable Olympic pedigree, having made their debut at the Sydney 2000 Olympic Games and subsequently appearing at Athens 2004, Beijing 2008 and Paris 2024, qualification has not always been easy.
The 16-year gap between their last two participations in Beijing 2008 and Paris 2024 illustrates the tough time they have endured in the qualifying series.
With the women’s football event at Los Angeles 2028 set to feature 16 teams—including hosts the United States—Nigeria’s path to qualification is expected to be demanding.
Attention will now shift to the preliminary encounter between South Sudan and Comoros, as Nigeria’s technical crew intensify preparations ahead of their second-round entry point.
For the Super Falcons, the mission is clear: successfully navigate a rigorous qualifying campaign and secure a return to the Olympic stage in 2028.
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Nigeria’s senior women’s national team, the Super Falcons, will on Wednesday discover their route to the football event of the 2028 Olympic Games in Los Angeles when the Confederation of African Football conducts the official draw in Cairo.
The draw ceremony, scheduled for April 29 at CAF headquarters in Egypt, will set in motion Africa’s qualifying campaign for the women’s football tournament of the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic Games.
A total of 35 countries, including Nigeria, will participate in the race for just two tickets allocated to Africa for the Olympic football event, which will take place from July 11 to 29, 2028.
Alongside Nigeria, other contenders include continental heavyweights such as South Africa, Cameroon, Ghana, Morocco and Zambia, as well as a wide range of emerging nations from across the continent.
The full list of participating teams also features Algeria, Angola, Benin, Botswana, Burkina Faso, Central African Republic, Comoros, Congo, Cote d’Ivoire, Democratic Republic of Congo, Djibouti, Equatorial Guinea, Ethiopia, Guinea, Kenya, Madagascar, Malawi, Mali, Mauritius, Namibia, Rwanda, Senegal, Seychelles, South Sudan, Sudan, Tanzania, Tunisia, Uganda and Zimbabwe.
According to CAF, the qualification series will be played over five rounds, gradually narrowing the field to the two teams that will fly Africa’s flag at the Olympics in the United States.
For Nigeria, Africa’s most successful women’s national team, the qualifiers present another opportunity to reaffirm their continental dominance and secure a return to the Olympic stage after recent mixed fortunes in global competitions.
The Super Falcons, nine-time African champions, are expected to be among the top seeds when the draw is conducted, a factor that could influence their early-round opponents.
Wednesday’s ceremony in Cairo will therefore provide clarity on the fixtures, timelines and potential hurdles facing Nigeria and other contenders as the road to Los Angeles officially begins.
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By Kunle Solaja.
Morocco’s senior women’s national team will on Wednesday learn their opponents and qualification pathway to the football event of the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic Games when the Confederation of African Football stages the official draw in Cairo.
The draw, billed for April 29 at CAF headquarters in Egypt, marks the starting point of Africa’s qualifying campaign, with 35 nations set to battle for just two coveted Olympic slots.
For Morocco, the exercise represents another significant step in the country’s rapidly rising profile in women’s football. The Atlas Lionesses, who have emerged as one of Africa’s most improved sides in recent years, will be aiming to secure a historic qualification for the Olympic Games.
The North Africans will face stiff competition from traditional powerhouses such as Nigeria, South Africa, Cameroon and Ghana, alongside other ambitious sides including Zambia and Senegal.
Also in the race are Algeria, Angola, Benin, Botswana, Burkina Faso, Central African Republic, Comoros, Congo, Cote d’Ivoire, Democratic Republic of Congo, Djibouti, Equatorial Guinea, Ethiopia, Guinea, Kenya, Madagascar, Malawi, Mali, Mauritius, Namibia, Rwanda, Seychelles, South Sudan, Sudan, Tanzania, Tunisia, Uganda and Zimbabwe.
CAF confirmed that the qualifiers will unfold across five rounds, with the field gradually trimmed down until only two teams remain to represent Africa at the Olympics in the United States from July 11 to 29, 2028.
Morocco are expected to be among the seeded teams for the early rounds, a reflection of their recent performances on the continental stage, including their strong showing at recent Women’s Africa Cup of Nations tournaments.
Wednesday’s draw in Cairo will therefore be crucial in determining Morocco’s early matchups and the potential obstacles on their path, as they seek to translate recent progress into a maiden appearance at the Olympic Games.
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