Super Falcons beat Comoros 2-0 in first leg of LA 2028 Olympic qualifier

Updated 09:10 WAT, 10 Oct 2026: The Super Falcons won the first leg 2-0 on Friday, with second-half goals from Michelle Alozie and Uchenna Kanu.

The Super Falcons beat Comoros 2-0 at Remo Stars Stadium in Ikenne, Ogun State, on Friday, 9 October 2026, in the first leg of their second-round qualifier for the Los Angeles 2028 Olympics. Michelle Alozie and Uchenna Kanu scored in the second half, the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) and Channels Television reported. The return leg is at the same ground on Tuesday, 13 October.

The first half ended goalless. Rasheedat Ajibade hit the woodwork in the 26th minute, Channels Television reported, and Premium Times said Nigeria struck the frame three times in the first 30 minutes.

Alozie broke the deadlock in the 48th minute, finishing from close range after Gift Monday headed the ball into her path. Kanu doubled the lead on the hour with a header from Jennifer Echegini’s corner, according to the NFF.

Three players made their senior debuts: midfielder Joy Igbokwe, who started, and substitutes Janet Akekoromowei and Suliat Abideen, the NFF said. Premium Times said the team lacked cohesion in the final third and questioned whether the forwards would be clinical enough against stronger opposition.

Comoros were the nominal home side on Friday, but they do not have a stadium approved for international matches by the Confederation of African Football (CAF), so both legs are being played in Nigeria, Premium Times and The Sun reported.

The stakes are high. The Falcons ended a 16-year Olympic absence when they reached Paris 2024, Premium Times noted, and only two African teams will qualify for the women’s tournament in Los Angeles, according to CAF.

How does qualifying work?

CAF’s qualifiers are a five-round knockout competition, with every tie played home and away, and 35 countries entered. The six lowest-ranked entrants, including Comoros, played a first round in June. The three winners were then paired with the three highest-ranked teams, Nigeria, South Africa and Ghana, in this second round, CAF said when it confirmed the draw procedures in April.

Sixteen teams will remain for the third round, scheduled for 23 February to 6 March 2027, and eight for the fourth, from 4 to 12 October 2027. The last four meet in the fifth round, from 23 November to 4 December 2027, and the two winners qualify. The Olympic football tournament runs from 11 to 29 July 2028, according to CAF.

Who are Comoros?

Comoros reached this stage by beating Sudan 17-0 on 4 June and 13-0 on 8 June, a 30-0 win on aggregate with clean sheets in both legs, Premium Times reported.

Nigeria, by contrast, went straight into the second round as one of the three highest-ranked teams in the competition, The Sun reported.

Who was missing for Nigeria?

Interim head coach Augustine Eguavoen, who was taking charge of the Falcons in an official match for the first time, was without Asisat Oshoala, Ashleigh Plumptre and Oluwatosin Demehin, Premium Times and Daily Trust reported. Two other players, Oluwakemi Adegbuyi and Favour Nkwocha, were released to the Flamingos for the FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup in Morocco, according to ThisDay.

Before the match, Eguavoen said he had confidence in the replacements. “Everyone has settled in well in camp as we have a full house now,” he said, adding that “our focus is to present a strong and competitive squad for the two matches”, Daily Trust reported.

Captain Rasheedat Ajibade led the team. “We’ll take it one step at a time, one game at a time,” she said, according to Premium Times.

The Nigeria Football Federation’s acting general secretary, Dr Emmanuel Ikpeme, visited the camp in Ijebu-Ode on Thursday and urged the players to make the most of playing at home before the return leg, The Sun reported.

What happens next

The second leg is at Remo Stars Stadium on Tuesday, 13 October 2026, with Nigeria as the designated home side, Blueprint reported. The Falcons take a two-goal lead into the match, and the winner on aggregate goes through.

The winner of the tie will face Morocco in the third round, the NFF, Premium Times and Channels Television reported. That round is scheduled for 23 February to 6 March 2027, according to CAF. The losing side is out of the race for Los Angeles.