CAF has confirmed the third-round draw of the women’s Olympic qualifiers: sixteen nations, two tickets to Los Angeles 2028, and a clash between the Atlas Lionesses and the Super Falcons.
The Confederation of African Football has confirmed the third-round fixtures of the qualifiers for the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic Games, reports Afrik-Foot. Sixteen nations remain in the running for one of only two qualifying tickets allocated to the CAF zone, specifies Mega Sports.
In this draw, one tie stands out: Morocco, who qualified directly after Congo’s declared withdrawal and forfeit according to Le360 Sport, are drawn against Nigeria, who knocked out the Comoros in the previous round.
Morocco face the Nigerian steamroller
The Atlas Lionesses reached this stage on a walkover, without playing the second round. On the other side, the Super Falcons swept the Comoros 7-0 on aggregate, with a 2-0 win in the first leg and then a 5-0 victory in the return leg in Ikenne, where Toni Payne and Uchenna Kanu both scored braces, according to Le360 Sport.
Striker Uchenna Kanu, who scored a brace in the 5-0 return-leg win, is part of a Nigerian national team that took control of its qualification without ever letting the outcome be in doubt.
Algeria and a 15-0 aggregate
While Morocco sealed their ticket without playing, Algeria overwhelmed the Central African Republic with a record 15-0 aggregate: 8-0 in the first leg, then 7-0 in the return leg in Tizi Ouzou, according to Afrik-Foot. Striker Melissa Bethi was the heroine of the return leg, scoring a hat-trick, including an acrobatic bicycle kick in the 5th minute.
Burkina Faso now stand in the way of Farid Benstiti’s players, the head coach of the women’s national team. The Burkinabè eliminated Equatorial Guinea 4-2 on aggregate (3-1 in the first leg, 1-1 in the return leg), as reported by leFaso.net.
The other ties and the schedule
The rest of the draw also offers its share of confrontations. A West African derby will pit Senegal against Mali: the Senegalese knocked out Tunisia (3-0 on aggregate), while Mali eliminated Benin in a high-scoring tie (7-5 on aggregate), according to Mega Sports. The Central African clash will see Cameroon take on Ivory Coast, with the Elephants having eliminated DR Congo (7-1 on aggregate).
Four other ties complete the programme: Ethiopia against Tanzania, Angola against South Africa, Kenya against Malawi, and Zambia against Ghana, specifies Afrik-Foot.
The first legs of the third round will be played on 23 February 2027, and the return legs on 6 March 2027.