Nigeria women’s national football team, c, will face either Sudan or Comoros in the qualifiers for the women’s football event at the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic Games.
The pathway was confirmed after the Confederation of African Football conducted the qualification draw in Cairo on Wednesday, outlining the route for the continent’s representatives.
Nigeria, Africa’s most successful national team, have been handed a bye into the second round in recognition of their pedigree, and will begin their campaign against the winner of the preliminary fixture between Sudan and Comoros.
A total of 35 nations are involved in the qualification process, which will be contested over five knockout rounds on a home-and-away basis, with only two slots available for African teams at the Olympic Games.
The six lowest-ranked teams, including Sudan and Comoros, will compete in the opening round scheduled for June 2026, with the winners advancing to face top-ranked sides such as Nigeria, South Africa and Ghana in the second round.
From that stage, the competition will be progressively reduced through further knockout ties until the final round determines the two African representatives for Los Angeles 2028.
The second round is scheduled for October 5 to 13, the third round will come between February 23 to March 6, 2027, fourth round from October 4 to 12, 2027 and the final round on November 23 to December 4, 2027.
Nigeria are aiming to maintain their status among Africa’s elite and build on their recent return to the Olympic stage, having previously featured at the Games in Sydney 2000, Athens 2004, Beijing 2008 and Paris 2024.
At the last qualifying series for the Paris event, Nigeria and Zambia secured the continent’s available slots.
The women’s football tournament at Los Angeles 2028 will feature 16 teams, including hosts United States women’s national soccer team, with the remaining places to be decided through continental qualifiers.
