Women’s Olympic Football Third-Round Qualifiers Set Up Eight African Showdowns

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Sixteen African nations remain in the race for a place at the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic Games, with the third round of Women’s Olympic Football Qualifiers scheduled for 23 February to 6 March 2027.

The draw has produced eight ties with plenty of intrigue, including a meeting between Morocco and Nigeria, two sides with the pedigree to make a serious run at qualification. South Africa must negotiate a tie against Angola, while Zambia face Ghana in another contest between established forces in African women’s football.

Only two African teams will reach the Olympic tournament. With the qualification process moving towards its decisive stages, every two-legged tie brings the remaining contenders closer to that prize or ends their hopes.

Women’s Olympic Football Fixtures Put African Contenders to the Test

Nigeria will face Morocco in one of the round’s most prominent ties. Nigeria’s 5-0 victory over Comoros in the previous round provided a strong attacking return, but Morocco will offer a different proposition after advancing following Congo’s withdrawal. The Nigerians will need to bring their attacking threat to both legs.

South Africa recorded a 3-0 win over Madagascar and now face Angola, who defeated Namibia 2-0. Banyana Banyana will be expected to make their experience count, although Angola have earned their place through their own efforts and will seek to make home advantage count.

Zambia and Ghana also have plenty at stake. Zambia beat Uganda 4-1, while Ghana swept aside Mauritius 7-0. Both sides demonstrated their ability to score freely, so their head-to-head encounter could hinge on which defence handles the opposition’s forward line more effectively.

Kenya produced the largest victory of the second round with an 11-0 demolition of Seychelles. Their reward is a tie against Malawi, who defeated Zimbabwe 7-0. Those results point to two sides in good attacking form, although the next round will provide a stronger measure of their Olympic credentials.

The remaining fixtures see Ethiopia meet Tanzania, Senegal take on Mali, Algeria play Burkina Faso and Côte d’Ivoire face Cameroon. Tanzania beat Botswana 6-0, Senegal defeated Tunisia 2-0, Algeria recorded a 7-0 victory over the Central African Republic and Côte d’Ivoire won 3-0 against the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Ethiopia and Burkina Faso advanced after 1-1 draws.

Eight winners will progress to the fourth round. The margin for error will narrow further as the tournament moves towards its final qualification places, with Africa’s leading contenders needing to keep their Olympic ambitions alive across both legs.

Third-round fixtures: