BREAKING: Cameroon’s late arrival forces one-leg friendly with Nigeria on Monday

By Samuel Ahmadu

The international women’s friendly between Nigeria’s Super Falcons and Cameroon’s Indomitable Lionesses has been reduced to a single-leg match, now scheduled to take place on Monday, June 2, at the MKO Abiola Stadium in Abeokuta.

The fixture was originally planned as a two-match series, with games in Ikenne and Abeokuta. However, due to logistical delays affecting the Cameroonian team’s arrival, the series has been condensed into one match.

The Cameroonian delegation — initially expected in Nigeria on Thursday — is now set to arrive in Lagos on Saturday morning, after finalizing travel arrangements late Thursday.

The squad comprises 24 players, drawn from both overseas clubs and the domestic Guinness Super League, who will proceed directly to their base in Ijebu-Ode upon arrival.

Despite the adjustment, the friendly remains a key part of Nigeria’s build-up to the 2024 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations (WAFCON) in Morocco, where the Super Falcons will be aiming for a record-extending 10th continental title in their 13th consecutive tournament appearance.

For Cameroon, the match offers a valuable opportunity to begin early preparations for the 2026 WAFCON qualifiers, following their historic failure to qualify for this year’s tournament — the first such miss in the nation’s history.

Internal administrative issues within the Cameroonian Football Federation had threatened their participation, but those have now been resolved.

The match will rekindle a storied rivalry in African women’s football. Nigeria holds a dominant record with 14 wins from 20 encounters, while Cameroon has recorded three wins, and three matches have ended in draws.

The Super Falcons have won eight of the last eleven meetings, including crucial WAFCON finals and Olympic qualifiers.

Samuel Ahmadu

Samuel Ahmadu is a distinguished multimedia journalist and women's football expert with over 15 years of experience in the industry. He began his career at Goal.com in February 2014, where he served as an African women's football correspondent for nearly eight years. During his tenure at Goal.com, Samuel covered major events such as three Women's Africa Cup of Nations (2016, 2018, 2022) and the 2015 FIFA Women's World Cup in Canada plus 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia. His work at Goal.com earned him widespread acclaim, particularly for his in-depth profiles of African football stars, notably Asisat Oshoala, whose rise he documented from her early years to her breakthrough at the FIFA U20 Women's World Cup in 2014. Prior to his role at Goal.com, Samuel freelanced for various print and broadcast media outlets in Nigeria, including Graphics Newspaper, Radio Nigeria, Grace FM, and Savid Newspaper. His extensive experience and expertise led to his appointment to the Nigeria Football Federation's Standing Committee on Women's Football Development from 2016 to 2018. Since February 2018, Samuel has been the Social Media Manager for Nigeria's women's national teams.In 2019, Samuel joined the Confederation of African Football (CAF) as a women's football content contributor and was promoted to Women's Football Editor in 2021. His contributions to women's football continued as he worked as a Media Consultant for Content Creation and Editorials at the 2022 CAF Women's Champions League. Currently, Samuel also serves as the spokesman for the Nigeria Women Football League, further solidifying his influence and dedication to the growth of women's football in Africa.

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