Paris 2024 Qualifiers: Randy Waldrum expects ‘difficult’ Cameroon doubleheader

By Oyediji Oluwaseun Babatunde

Head coach of Nigeria’s senior women’s national team, Randy Waldrum is expecting a tough duel between his side and Cameroon in the third round of Paris 2024 Olympics Qualifiers.

Waldrum will take charge of his first match after guiding the Super Falcons to the Round of 16 of the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup last summer

His contract expired at the end of October 2023, with the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) engaging in contract extension talks with the University of Pittsburgh coach before the extension by a year.

The 67-year-old said the focus for the nine-time African champions is to qualify for the women’s football event of the Olympics.

“The goal obviously is to qualify for the Olympics and look ahead of ourselves until we get there,” Waldrum told NFFTV.

“Qualification is the primary goal. As everyone knows we have a difficult set of matches coming up against Cameroon. All the focus will be on those matches.”

Rasheedat Ajibade scored the winner when both sides last met in the knockout round of the 2022 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations (WAFCON) in Morocco.

The Indomitable Lionesses ensured that the Super Falcons didn’t qualify for the London 2012 Olympics and will want to repeat the same feat against the most successful women’s football team in Africa.

“They [Cameroon] will be seeking for a recent,” he continued.

“Historically, I think Cameron stopped us from going to the Olympics a few years back, maybe 2012, somewhere around there. I think the two countries know each other very well.”

The first leg encounter will take place at the Stade de la Reunification in Douala on Friday evening, with the return leg in Abuja three days later.