In difficulty in recent years, Nigeria wants to redeem itself for the World Cup 2023, scheduled from July 20 to August 20, in Australia and New Zealand. The Super Falcons will play two friendly matches against Haiti and New Zealand on April 7 and 11 in Antalya, Turkey.
Nigeria is no longer shining on the international stage. The Super Falcons have not won since the Women's AFCON in Morocco. And that was in the quarterfinals, against Cameroon (1-0). Beaten by Zambia in the classification game, they settled for fourth place. The Nigerians are in the running for the Revelations Cup 2023 in Mexico and have lost their seventh straight match. Despite this, the Nigerians remain optimistic about the Women's World Cup. The nine-time African champions are in the midst of preparing for the World Cup. They face Haiti in a friendly on April 7 before taking on New Zealand on April 11 in Antalya, Turkey.
The Nigerians will need to win. Coach Randy Waldrum will be able to call on his best players for these two friendlies. Star strikers Asisat Oshoala and Desire Oparanozie have joined the camp in Antalya. The FC Barcelona striker is walking on water this season. She has 24 goals in all competitions. The top scorer in La Liga (19 goals) has not scored for the national team for a long time. Her appearances with the Super Falcons are even very rare. Her last game with the Nigerian team was at the Women's AFCON. Oparanozie will join the team for the first time since the Aisha Buhari Cup in Lagos in September 2021.
The American technician has also called for new head including Vivian Ikechukwu. "We are happy to have the new players in the camp. They are quality players who will bring more depth to the team. We are also impressed with the commitment and dedication of the players who have been in camp since we started training," Waldrum said. At the World Cup, Oshoala's teammates will face Australia, Canada and Ireland in Group B.
