Nigeria Handed Favorable Path as CAF Conducts Los Angeles 2028 Olympic Qualifiers Draw

Posted : 30 April 2026

The Super Falcons of Nigeria have discovered their preliminary route for the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic Games. During a ceremony at the Confederation of African Football headquarters in Cairo on Wednesday, April 29, 2026, Nigeria received a first-round bye. The nine-time African champions will enter the qualification series in the second round. They are scheduled to play the winner of the opening knockout tie between Sudan and Comoros.

Nigeria’s high continental ranking earned them this exemption from the earliest stage of the tournament. The first-round matches involving lower-ranked sides are slated for June 1 to June 9, 2026. Consequently, the Super Falcons will not see competitive action in this series until October 2026. These second-round fixtures will be contested over two legs between October 5 and October 13, 2026.

The path to the United States is mathematically difficult for all 35 participating African nations. Only two slots are available for the continent at the 16-team global event in Los Angeles. The qualification process consists of five distinct knockout rounds played on a home-and-away basis. This format ensures that only the most consistent teams survive the two-year journey.

Nigeria recently broke a long-standing Olympic drought by qualifying for the Paris 2024 Games. Before that achievement, the team had missed three consecutive editions between 2012 and 2020. Their historic best remains a quarter-final finish at the Athens 2004 Olympics. That performance stands as the furthest any African women’s football team has ever progressed in the competition.

Other major African powers also learned their potential opponents during the Cairo draw. South Africa’s Banyana Banyana will face the winner of the South Sudan and Madagascar clash. Meanwhile, Ghana's Black Queens are paired against either Mauritius or Djibouti. Several high-profile regional matchups were also confirmed. Morocco will face Congo, while Zambia is set to take on Uganda in what promises to be a physical encounter.

The final stage of this lengthy qualifying campaign will take place in late 2027. Matches in the fifth and final round are scheduled between November 23 and December 4, 2027. The two winners of those ties will represent Africa from July 11 to July 29, 2028. Nigeria enters this cycle as a seeded favorite, aiming to secure back-to-back Olympic appearances.

Nigeria Handed Favorable Path as CAF Conducts Los Angeles 2028 Olympic Qualifiers Draw

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