The Nigeria Football Federation has firmed up plans
to provide African champions, Super Falcons, with what could turn out to be
their best –ever preparation for the FIFA Women’s World Cup finals.
Participation in the Four –Nation Invitational Tournament
in China, 17th – 20th January, will be followed by
participation in the Cyprus Women’s Cup (25th February – 7th
March), before planned friendly matches with Spain or Canada before a final
training camp in Austria that could also take in two tune –up games.
On Tuesday, players and officials of the nine –time African
champions were at the Embassy of China in Abuja for visa processing. The team
is expected to fly out of Nigeria to China on Monday.
Hosts China, Romania and Korea Republic are the
other teams taking part in the four –day invitational.
Overwhelmingly voted as the Women National Team of
Year 2018 in Africa at the AITEO-CAF African Football Awards in Senegal on
Tuesday, the Super Falcons are determined to adequately prepare and be
competitive at this year’s global tournament – a championship in which they
have only reached the quarter finals once before, 20 years ago.
Already, the Nigeria Football Federation has
announced that the Falcons will have their final camping programme at the same
Avita Hotel and Resort in Bad Tatzmannsdorf in Austria, where the Super Eagles
stayed before flying to Russia to participate in last year’s FIFA World Cup
finals.
On return from the invitational tournament in China,
the Falcons will begin visa processing for Cyprus, where a 12 –Nation Invitational
Tournament awaits between 25th February – 7th March.
Austria, Belgium, Czech Republic, Finland, Hungary,
Italy, North Korea, Mexico, Slovakia, South Africa and Thailand are the other
nations taking part. Of the lot, Nigeria, Italy, South Africa and Thailand will
be going to France.
Spain (who play African team South Africa, as well
as Germany and China in Group B) and Canada (who play African team Cameroon, as
well as New Zealand and The Netherlands in Group E) have approached Nigeria for
friendly matches. Jamaica, who play Australia, Italy and Brazil in Group C,
have also written to the NFF expressing interest in playing the Super Falcons.
Nigeria, the only African country to have featured
in all previous editions of the FIFA Women’s World Cup since the competition
was launched in China in 1991, will tackle host nation France, Korea Republic
and Norway in Group A of this summer’s finals.
The Super Falcons will open their account in France
against Norway, at the 21,000 –capacity Stade Auguste Delaune in Reims on 8th
June, before matches against Korea Republic in Grenoble on 12th June
and against hosts France in Rennes on 17th June.
The 8th FIFA Women’s World Cup finals
will hold 7th June – 7th July this year, with France up
against Korea Republic in the opening match at the Parc des Princes in Paris on
7th June.
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