The real work begins as the Mares have learnt their 2024 WAFCON group stages opponents. The qualification phase long ended last December and the 2024 WAFCON was rescheduled to July 2025. In the tournament draw held last Friday, the Mares were pitted in Group B against West Africans, Nigeria and two North African opponents in Tunisia and Algeria.
Nigeria Rank: Number one in Africa and 36th in the World WAFCON appearances: 15 times The Super Falcons, as they are affectionately called, are the most successful team in the history of the WAFCON. Nigeria has won the tournament on 11 occasions making them the most successful team in the history of the tournament. Ahead of the start of the 2024 edition, Super Falcons are the early tournament favourites. The team has the highest number of players based abroad with the number at 12 in the latest squad. Previous WAFCON performance: It was a disappointing outing at the previous edition of the WAFCON. Nigeria failed to defend their title in 2022 after Morocco eliminated them in the semi-finals. This marked the first time in several years that Nigeria had not reached the final of the tournament. The 2022 edition is regarded as one of the worst in the team's history despite Nigeria finishing with a bronze medal. Previous encounters: Mares and Super Falcons met for the first time in the second group stage match of the 2022 WAFCON. Super Falcons emerged 2-0 victors as they booked a place in the knockout phase with a game to spare.
