The Super Falcons have commenced preparations for their 2028 Los Angeles Olympic qualifying campaign, but interim head coach Augustine Eguavoen has been forced to contend with several player withdrawals ahead of Nigeria’s two-legged clash against Comoros.
Former captain and forward Asisat Oshoala has requested to be excused from the qualifiers, while defender Ashleigh Plumptre will also miss the games after suffering a sprain and ligament injury, Sports247 gathered.
The Super Falcons will further be without the services of Oluwatosin Demehin and Flourish Sabastine, with the SL Benfica duo continuing the process of securing their residence permits in Portugal.
With Oshoala unavailable, Eguavoen has moved quickly to strengthen his attacking options by calling up former Falconets forward Blessing Okpe, who currently plays her club football in Belarus, as her replacement.
Meanwhile, the interim coach has released two young players from the Super Falcons camp to join the Flamingos ahead of the FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup in Morocco.
The players are Oluwakemi Adegbuyi, the 16-year-old forward who was recently named MVP of the WAFU-B U17 Girls Cup, and Favour Nkwocha.
Adegbuyi’s release will allow the teenage forward to rejoin the Flamingos as Nigeria prepares for another major international assignment at youth level.
Despite the withdrawals, preparations for the Olympic qualifiers are already underway, with 14 players taking part in Monday evening’s training session at the Otunba Dipo Dina International Stadium in Ijebu-Ode.
More players are expected to arrive in camp as the team builds towards the crucial encounters.
Among those still expected are Michelle Alozie, Christy Ucheibe, Jennifer Echegini, captain Rasheedat Ajibade and Gift Monday, alongside several other foreign-based players.
The Super Falcons will face Comoros in the first leg on Friday before the return fixture on Tuesday at the Remo Stars Stadium, with Nigeria aiming to take an important step towards securing qualification for the 2028 Olympic Games in Los Angeles.
For Eguavoen, the immediate challenge will be to quickly integrate the available players and maintain the team’s preparations despite the number of changes to the original squad.
The Olympic qualifying campaign presents another opportunity for the Super Falcons to secure their place on the global stage, but the team must first navigate a demanding two-leg tie against Comoros.
With key players unavailable and several others still expected in camp, the coming days will be crucial as Nigeria finalises its preparations for the opening leg.
