FIFAWWC: We have what it takes to go past Round of 16 – Nigeria captain Onome Ebi

Captain of the Nigeria women’s national team, Onome Ebi has revealed the mission of the Super Falcons team ahead of the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup in Australia and New Zealand later this year.

At age 39, Ebi was the oldest player at the last Women’s Africa Cup of Nations having played her seventh edition since making her tournament debut back in 2003. and will be aiming to extend their African record this summer, when she will become the first African to feature at six World Cups.

With her pool of talents in the Nigeria squad, the defender believes it is time to defy every odd that led to her team’s second-round exit from the tournament in 2019 at the forthcoming global showpiece.

“The last Women’s World Cup, we went past the group stage, this time around with the caliber of players we have, my target is to go past the Round of 16, where we were eliminated the last time out,” the veteran defender told media.

“Hopefully, we will pass that stage, that is my target. For the team’s target, we will try to get past the group stage first and we see how we go from there.”

Though currently without a club, the veteran will be leading the Super Falcons stars to participate in a four-nation tournament tagged ‘Revelation Cup’ in Mexico in preparations for the global showpiece this summer.

Nigeria is one of only seven nations to have participated in every edition of the FIFA Women’s World Cup since its inception in 1991, with their highest achievement being a quarterfinal finish.

However, she admits that the Revelation Cup is an important tournament for her side, stressing the team’s readiness to judiciously use every opportunity they get for achieving greater results for the country.

“It is a very good one,  I think we have two FIFA breaks before the world cup and this one is very very important and I believe we will judiciously use every opportunity we get,” she continued.

“For the game, it is a very good one for the team and I believe myself, the team, and the coaching crew will do the best to deliver the goal of becoming a successful team,” she concluded.

Nigeria have been pitched in Group B alongside co-hosts Australia, Canada, and the Republic of Ireland at the World Cup.