Nigeria to face South Africa for 2024 Olympic games ticket
Recalling their storied rivalry in football, both countries met at the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations, where Nigeria’s men’s national team, the Super Eagles, conquered South Africa’s Bafana Bafana to reach the AFCON final.
Weeks after that tense contest, the race to represent Africa in Paris has scheduled another Nigeria vs South Africa encounter.
In the Olympic Games qualifier, Africa Women’s champions, South Africa’s Banyana Banyana, demonstrated their dominance over Tanzania once again by securing a victory on Tuesday, February 27, to reach the final qualifying round where Nigeria awaits.
After convincingly winning the opening leg in Tanzania, the South African side made the second leg a mere formality.
Hosted in Johannesburg on Tuesday evening, the second leg saw South Africa clinch a 1-0 victory. Thembi Kgatlana scored the lone goal of the match in the 58th minute, ensuring an easy passage for South Africa to the next stage of the qualifiers.
With a comprehensive 4-0 aggregate win over both legs, South Africa has now set up an exciting showdown against Nigeria’s Super Falcons in the next round of the qualifiers.
To reach this stage, Nigeria defeated the Indomitable Lionesses of Cameroon 1-0 on aggregate in the third qualifying round.
According to CAF, the two-legged tie will take place between April 1-9, 2024.
This match promises to be interesting as it pitches the Falcons against their most formidable rivals in African football.
Nigeria, once dominated women’s football in Africa, but the likes of South Africa have emerged as serious rivals following their performances at recent WAFCON tournaments.