Super Falcons head coach Randy Waldrum has talked up Nigeria’s chances ahead of the FIFA Women’s World Cup co-hosted by Australia and New Zealand from July 20 to August 20.
The 66-year-old American echoed his confidence in the current crop of players and believes they can do better than Nigeria’s round-of-16 finish in the 2019 edition of the tournament in France.
The Super Falcons secured a spot in the competition after they saw off the Lionesses of Cameroon 1-0 in the quarter-finals of the 2022 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations in Morocco.
The slim victory confirmed Nigeria as the only African country to be present in all editions of the FIFA Women’s World Cup and one of only seven countries in the world, with the other six being the United States, Germany, Norway, Sweden, Brazil, and Japan.
Waldrum believes that his players can also surpass Nigeria’s best outing at the tournament, when they got to the quarterfinals before being eliminated 4-3 due to the golden goal rule by eventual third-place team Brazil.
“I am confident and realistic about this. We have an abundance of talents in the squad and I am convinced they can go that far. This particular team is very talented and has the same ability to go far in the tournament, just like the Class of 1999,” he said in an interview with the NFF.
“To be able to achieve this and even more, we need to have all players in fit condition, healthy and most importantly have enough time together. If we have enough time together, we have the ability to be successful at the World Cup,” Waldrum concluded.
The Super Falcons have been drawn in Group B with co-hosts Australia, the Republic of Ireland, and Olympic champions Canada.
They will kickstart their eighth appearance at the Mundial when they face Canada at the Melbourne Rectangular Stadium on July 21, before taking on the Matildas of Australia on July 27 at the Lang Park in Brisbane, and will return to Melbourne for the last game of the group stages against Ireland.
