The first opponents of the Super Falcons at the 2023 Women’s World Cup have been revealed by FIFA following the release of the match schedule for the tournament.
The competition will be held in Australia and New Zealand from July 20 to August 20 next year.
Nine-time African champions Nigeria are in Group B with Ireland, Canada and co-hosts Australia.
The Super Falcons will begin their quest with a clash against Canada on July 21 at the Melbourne Rectangular Stadium in Melbourne from 12.30pm Melbourne time (2.30am Nigerian time).
Nigeria’s second match is against Australia six days later at Brisbane Stadium in Brisbane, which is over 1,300 kilometres and over two hours by air from Melbourne. It starts at 8pm Brisbane time (11am in Nigeria).
The Super Falcons will stay in Brisbane for their third group match against Ireland on July 31, which also kicks off at 8pm Brisbane time (11am Nigerian time).
There is a one-hour difference between Melbourne and Brisbane, and while the former is 10 hours ahead of Nigeria, the latter is nine hours.
The tournament will open on July 20 with co-hosts New Zealand facing Norway at Eden Park in Auckland, followed three hours later by a fixture between Australia and Ireland.
The competition has been expanded to 32 teams for the first time, with four teams each in eight groups.
The final will take place at 8pm at Stadium Australia in Sydney on Sunday, August 20.
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