Ikenne to host Falcons, Comoros Olympic qualifier

The Remo Stars Stadium in Ikenne-Remo will host both legs of Nigeria’s second-round Olympic qualifying fixture against Comoros on October 9 and 13, as the Super Falcons begin their bid for a place at the 2028 Los Angeles Games, PUNCH Sports Extra reports.

The Nigeria Football Federation has revealed this, expressing confidence in the 10-time African champions’ ability to secure a back-to-back Olympic ticket after their participation at the 2024 Games in Paris.

Nigeria, one of the three highest-ranked teams in the qualifying competition, received a bye into the second round, where they will face Comoros in the two-legged encounter.

Comoros secured their place in the second round after defeating Sudan 30-0 on aggregate.

The Falcons must navigate four rounds of two-legged knockout ties to claim one of Africa’s two available places at the tournament in Los Angeles.

If Nigeria overcome Comoros, they will progress to the third round, scheduled for February 23 to March 6, 2027, where either DR Congo or Morocco will await them.

Progress to the fourth round will see the Falcons face one of Tunisia, Senegal, Benin Republic or Mali between October 4 and 12, 2027.

The final round of the qualifying race will hold from November 23 to December 4, 2027, with Nigeria set to face one of Guinea, Cameroon, DR Congo, Ivory Coast, Central African Republic, Algeria and Burkina Faso.

However, the Falcons could enter their Olympic campaign with a new technical crew, as the NFF intensifies efforts to appoint a coach before next month’s qualifiers.

Swedish coach Thomas Dennerby is in line for a return to the Super Falcons job, with the NFF considering his appointment as the team prepares for the Comoros fixtures.

In August, an embattled NFF board under former president Ibrahim Gusau asked the technical crew, led by coach Justine Madugu, to step down following the team’s disappointing campaign at the 2026 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations in Morocco.

The Falcons failed to defend their title at the tournament and also missed out on a ticket to the 2027 FIFA Women’s World Cup.

Madugu and his crew had led the team to a record-extending 10th WAFCON title in 2025.

Director-General of the National Sports Commission, Bukola Olopade, had also said the team would get a new technical crew before the qualifiers.

“The Olympics are around the corner; we will see how we can tweak the technical team of the Falcons as we did for the U-23, which coach Eric Chelle will handle. This is because we are desirous of qualifying for the Olympics,” Olopade revealed in August.