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Ed Dove, ESPN Special Reporter
Nigeria and Zambia will represent Africa in the women's football competition at the 2024 Olympic Games after a highly contested qualifying campaign.
The final four teams in the qualifying campaign also represented Africa at the FIFA Women's World Cup in Australia and New Zealand last year, and less than 18 months later they qualified for the Women's Africa Cup of Nations in Morocco.
Will these campaigns and the demoralizing experience of losing in the 2022 WAFCON semi-finals help Nigeria and Zambia as they look to break new ground for Africans in Olympic competition?
ESPN oversees the African Women's Olympic Qualification and looks ahead to the continent's chances in Paris.
How did they get there?
Twenty-five of the 54 member countries of the Confederation of African Football took part in the qualifying campaign, which began with a draw in Cairo last May.
Zambia received a bye in the second round and a bye against Mali, leaving them with only two double-headers before qualifying for the Olympics, against Ghana and Morocco.
Rachel Kundananji and Barbra Banda were the stars of the 4-3 aggregate win over the Black Queens in the third round, with the former scoring the only goal in the first leg in Accra, Ghana, before Banda scored in the 96th minute. He scored 2 goals including . That night, he scored the equalizer to make it 3-3. To see Zambia come through in an unforgettable second leg at home in Ndola.
Rocella Ayane's 94th-minute winning goal gave Morocco a 2-1 victory in the first leg of the fourth leg at Ndola's Levi Mwanawasa Stadium on Friday, but Banda scored in the 39th minute in the second leg. negates Atlas Lioness' advantage. Morocco. Then on to extra time in Rabat. There, Banda, who achieved superstar status while representing Zambia at the 2020 Olympics, sealed Copper Queens' breakthrough with a 105th-minute penalty.
In the other half of the draw, Nigeria also suffered a bye in the first round, but defeated Ethiopia 5-1 on aggregate after a 1-1 draw in Addis Ababa. Captain Rashidat Ajibade starred in the second leg, scoring two goals in the second half as the Super Falcons cruised to a comfortable victory in Abeokuta, Nigeria.
Nigeria next faced Cameroon in February in a rematch of the 2014 and 2016 Women's Africa Cup of Nations finals, winning 1-0 on aggregate with Esther Okoronkwo scoring the only goal with both legs. This set up a final showdown with another familiar nemesis, South Africa, and a rematch of the 2018 WAFCON final.
Ajibade's penalty in the first leg against Banyana Banyana at Nigeria's MKO Abiola Stadium ultimately proved the difference throughout the 180 minutes.
Zambia and Nigeria both showed stamina, resilience and character to negotiate two tough qualifying rounds (each settled by one goal difference) to secure a spot among the 12 qualifying teams in Paris.
Obtained qualification despite heartbreak
Zambia's qualification was secured against the backdrop of the tragic death of striker Nolin Bettani on the eve of the third round first leg against Ghana in February.
Betani, 24, fell ill shortly after reporting to team camp and died after being treated for malaria at the University Teaching Hospital in Lusaka, the capital of Zambia.
Bettani's teammates later dedicated their progress in qualifying to their fallen colleague.
Olympic history
Both Nigeria and Zambia are no strangers to Olympic sports, with the latter qualifying for back-to-back Olympic games after competing in Japan in 2020.
The Tokyo Games were a testing experience for Zambia. The Copper Queens endured a turbulent tournament with a 10-3 loss to the Netherlands and a 4-4 draw with China.
Despite this, Banda established herself as a bona fide star, scoring back-to-back hat tricks and becoming the only woman in Olympic history to score three goals in two different Olympic games.
Nigeria is Africa's most regular participant in the women's tournament, and the Super Falcons have previously played in the tournament three times in 2000, 2004 and 2008, but have not played in the Olympics for 16 years. do not have.
What was said?
Super Falcons coach Randy Waldrum, whose love-hate relationship with the Nigeria Football Federation has taken another turn with the qualification, has urged the Nigerian football authorities to ensure his team remains prepared.
“I would like to ask and challenge the Ministry of Sports and the federations to support proper preparations,” Waldrum said after the Super Falcons secured their breakthrough in Pretoria, South Africa. “We need to camp in Europe to prepare for the group. We need proper training, proper travel, doing things right, because they will help our country in the best possible way. Because I deserve this opportunity to represent Nigeria.”
Indeed, getting the logistics in place and investing in off-field support is one of the key pillars for Zambia to make a name for itself in the women's game, with Zambia FA President Andrew Kamanga stating that after qualifying , he vowed once again that he would not pay any expenses. It will help ensure that the team arrives in Paris with the weight of federation support on its back.
“As always, we will adhere to our established routine of organizing high-quality preparation for our teams ahead of the tournament,” FAZ president said in a statement obtained by ESPN.
“For now, we will allow the team to spend some time together before getting back to work.”
What do you expect?
There is no disputing the quality of both sides, but don't be under any illusions that the African qualifiers will meet in France.
With just 12 teams participating, there is a high concentration of quality teams, with Nigeria and Zambia both being unranked teams in the group.
The Super Falcons, ranked 36th in the world, will play three of the top 10 teams in their group, including current world champions and No. 1 ranked Spain, in the second match. Nigeria will have to be especially wary of La Roja, who defeated Zambia 5-0 on their way to winning the World Cup.
Things are not so easy in Zambia.
They are ranked 65th in the world and are the lowest ranked team in the tournament, but they will face former gold medal winners and top five players in the world, the United States and Germany, as well as a potential showdown with the world No. 65. Australia in 12th place.
Still, both teams will be secretly confident they can overturn their lower rankings – especially Banda and Kundananji, the two most expensive women's players on the planet, and the global perception of Zambia's game. is changing.
