Nigerians have been reassured once more by the Super Falcons’ captain Onome Ebi that their team is prepared to represent the country with pride at the World Cup.
She made this known during the dinner hosted by the Australian High Commission in Abuja before they left for Australia Sunday.
Speaking on behalf of the team, Ebi stated that they are prepared to represent the nation with pride in Australia and New Zealand.
“I want to tell Nigerians that we are going to Australia, not just to participate, but to surpass our record in the last outing. I believe we will make Nigerians proud”, she said.
It will be noted that Nigeria’s best record at the World Cup is reaching the quarter-finals in the 1999 edition in United States.
The team is expected to have a 15-day training period in Australia before settling down for the competition proper.
Ebi will be one of the oldest players at the tournament, at 40, alongside Brazil’s Marta and Canada’s Christine Sinclair. The three women will be featuring in their sixth FIFA Women’s World Cup tournament.
Nigeria’s first match of the finals is against Canada, at Melbourne’s Rectangular Stadium, on Friday, 21 July, before clashes with co-host nation Australia and the Republic of Ireland on Thursday, 27 July and Monday, 31 July respectively, at the Lang Park in Brisbane.
Australia and New Zealand 2023 will be the biggest-ever FIFA Women’s World Cup finals in history, as it welcomes 32 teams – same number as featured in the men’s finals in Qatar last year.