The Super Falcons of Nigeria will kickstart their 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup with a make or mar clash against Canada in a Group B encounter with hopes of getting a positive result.
The match, scheduled for the Melbourne Rectangular Stadium, Melbourne, Australia, will kick off at 3:30 am Nigerian time on Friday, July 21.
The Super Falcons which is taking part in her ninth world cup tournament will be hoping to better her quarter final placing which is the best the team has ever attained in the history of the tournament.
The team which has the enviable record of attending every edition of the Women’s World Cup will have a tough task against the Olympic champions, Canada, who stand 33 places above Nigeria in the FIFA rankings, making the North Americans the firm favourites for the match.
The 11-time African champions have only made it past the group stage twice, and reached the quarterfinals once in 1999; and with only four wins in 26 World Cup games, face a tough challenge ahead.
In previous encounters, Canada have had the upper hand against the African ladies with two wins in five meetings, albeit both in friendlies.
The Super Falcons held Canada to a 3-3 draw in their first World Cup match in 1995 and in the 2011 edition, Nigeria secured a 1-0 victory with Perpetua Nkwocha’s 84th-minute goal.
However, in another friendly in April 2022, the two teams played out a 2-2 draw which many saw as a positive sign for the Coach Randy Waldrum-tutored side.