Sports

Olympics 2024 football fixtures: Men and women football fixtures

Published

5 months ago

July 25, 2024

Admin

Nigeria first match in the Olympics 2024 football category is against Brazil on Thursday evening.

“The Paris Olympics football events will take place from July 24 to August 10. Seven stadiums will be used throughout the tournament.

Nice, Bordeaux, and Saint-Etienne will host the group stage matches. The semi-final matches will be held in Lyon and Marseille, while the bronze medal matches will take place in Nantes for the men’s tournament and Lyon for the women’s tournament.

The two finals will be held at the iconic Parc des Princes in Paris, which can accommodate 48,000 fans. The men’s final will take place on August 9, and the women’s final will be on August 10.

The host nation, France, will play their first men’s game of the tournament against the United States on July 24, two days before the opening ceremony.

The women’s tournament will begin the following day, July 25. At Tokyo 2020, Brazil won the gold medal for men, while Canada took the gold medal for women.

Olympics 2024 football fixtures men:

Group A: France, USA, Guinea, New Zealand

Group B: Argentina, Morocco, Iraq, Ukraine

Group C: Uzbekistan, Spain, Egypt, Dominican Republic

Group D: Japan, Paraguay, Mali, Israel

Women Olympic tournament groups:

Group A: France, Colombia, Canada, New Zealand

Group B: USA, Zambia, Germany, Australia

Group C: Spain, Japan, Nigeria, Brazil

Which Format Will They Use for Olympic Football?

The most popular sport in the world is set to return for its 29th Olympic appearance for men and its eighth for women.

The basic rules of Olympic football mirror those of domestic and international competitions. Two teams of 11 players will compete in a 90-minute match, and the team that scores the most goals will win. Group matches can end in a draw, but knockout games will go into extra time and penalties if needed.

For the men’s tournament, 16 teams are divided into four groups, with the top two from each group advancing to the quarter-finals.

In the women’s tournament, 12 teams are split into three groups. The top two teams from each group, along with the two best third-placed teams, will qualify for the knockout stages.

For the men’s teams, only three players in each squad can be over 23 years old, while there are no age restrictions for the women’s teams.

Who Has Won the Most Medals in Olympic Football?

The USA is the most successful nation in Olympic football, having won eight medals, including four golds. Hungary follows with five medals, three of which are gold.

Great Britain has also had significant success in Olympic football, securing three gold medals.

Olympics 2024 football fixtures men schedule

Group stage

Wednesday, 24 July 2024

Group A: France v USA, Stade de Marseille, kick-off 8pm

Group A: Guinea v New Zealand, Stade de Nice, kick-off 4pm

Group B: Argentina v Morocco, Stade Geoffroy-Guichard, Saint-Etienne, kick-off 2pm

Group B: Iraq v Ukraine, Stade de Lyon, kick-off 6pm

Group C: Uzbekistan v Spain, Parc des Princes, Paris, kick-off 2pm

Group C: Egypt v Dominican Republic, Stade de la Beaujoire, Nantes, kick-off 4pm

Group D: Mali v Israel, Parc des Princes, Paris, kick-off 8pm

Group D: Japan v Paraguay, Stade de Bordeaux, kick-off 6pm

Saturday July 27

Group A: France v Guinea, Stade de Nice, kick-off 8pm

Group A: New Zealand v USA, Stade de Marseille, kick-off 6pm

Group B: Argentina v Iraq, Stade de Lyon, kick-off 2pm

Group B: Ukraine v Morocco, Stade Geoffroy-Guichard, Saint-Etienne, kick-off 5pm

Group C: Uzbekistan v Egypt, Stade de la Beaujoire, Nantes, kick-off 4pm

Group C: Dominican Republic v Spain, Stade de Bordeaux, kick-off 3pm

Group D: Israel v Paraguay, Parc des Princes, Paris, kick-off 6pm

Group D: Japan v Mali, Stade de Bordeaux, kick-off 8pm

Tuesday July 30

Group A: New Zealand v France, Stade de Marseille, kick-off 6pm

Group A: USA v Guinea, Stade Geoffroy-Guichard, Saint-Etienne, kick-off 6pm

Group B: Ukraine v Argentina, Stade de Lyon, kick-off 4pm

Group B: Morocco v Iraq, Stade de Nice, kick-off 4pm

Group C: Dominican Republic v Uzbekistan, Parc des Princes, Paris, kick-off 2pm

Group C: Spain v Egypt, Stade de Bordeaux, kick-off 2pm

Group D: Israel v Japan, Stade de la Beaujoire, Nantes, kick-off 8pm

Group D: Paraguay v Mali, Parc des Princes, Paris, kick-off 8pm

Quarter-finals

Friday August 2

Match 25: 1A v 2B, Stade de Bordeaux, kick-off 8pm

Match 26: 1B v 2A, Parc des Princes, Paris, kick-off 2pm

Match 27: 1C v 2D, Stade de Marseille, kick-off 6pm

Match 28: 1D v 2C, Stade de Lyon, kick-off 4pm

Semi-finals

Monday August 5

Match 29: Winner Match 25 v Winner Match 27, Stade de Lyon, kick-off 8pm

Match 30: Winner Match 26 v Winner Match 28, Stade de Marseille, kick-off 5pm

Bronze medal match

Thursday August 8

Match 31: Loser Match 29 v Loser Match 30, Stade de la Beaujoire, Nantes, kick-off 4pm

Gold medal match

Friday August 9

Match 32: Winner Match 29 v Winner Match 30, Parc des Princes, Paris, kick-off 5pm

Women Olympic Football fixture schedule

Group stage

Thursday July 25

Group A: France v Colombia, Stade de Lyon, kick-off 8pm

Group A: Canada v New Zealand, Stade Geoffroy-Guichard, Saint-Etienne, kick-off 4pm

Group B: USA v Zambia, Stade de Nice, kick-off 8pm

Group B: Germany v Australia, Stade de Marseille, kick-off 6pm

Group C: Spain v Japan, Stade de la Beaujoire, Nantes, kick-off 4pm

Group C: Nigeria v Brazil, Stade de Bordeaux, kick-off 6pm

Sunday July 28

Group A: France v Canada, Stade Geoffroy-Guichard, Saint-Etienne, kick-off 8pm

Group A: New Zealand v Colombia, Stade de Lyon, kick-off 4pm

Group B: USA v Germany, Stade de Marseille, kick-off 8pm

Group B: Australia v Zambia, Stade de Nice, kick-off 6pm

Group C: Spain v Nigeria, Stade de la Beaujoire, Nantes, kick-off 6pm

Group C: Brazil v Japan, Parc des Princes, Paris, kick-off 4pm

Wednesday July 31

Group A: New Zealand v France, Stade de Lyon, kick-off 8pm

Group A: Colombia v Canada, Stade de Nice, kick-off 8pm

Group B: Australia v USA, Stade de Marseille, kick-off 6pm

Group B: Zambia v Germany, Stade Geoffroy-Guichard, Saint-Etienne, kick-off 6pm

Group C: Brazil v Spain, Stade de Bordeaux, kick-off 4pm

Group C: Japan v Nigeria, Stade de la Beaujoire, Nantes, kick-off 4pm

Olympics 2024 football fixtures for Quarter-finals

Saturday August 3

Match 19: 1A v 3B/C, Stade de la Beaujoire, Nantes, kick-off 8pm

Match 20: 1B v 2C, Parc des Princes, Paris, kick-off 2pm

Match 21: 1C v 3A/B, Stade de Lyon, kick-off 4pm

Match 22: 2A v 2B, Stade de Marseille, kick-off 6pm

Olympics 2024 football fixtures Semi-finals

Tuesday August 6

Match 23: Match 19 Winner v Match 21 Winner, Stade de Marseille, kick-off 8pm

Match 24: Match 20 Winner v Match 22 Winner, Stade de Lyon, kick-off 5pm

Bronze medal match

Friday August 9

Match 25: Match 23 Loser v Match 24 Loser, Stade de Lyon, kick-off 2pm

Gold medal match

Saturday August 10

Match 26: Match 23 Winner v Match 24 Winner, Parc des Princes, Paris, kick-off 4pm

Nigeria squad

Goalkeepers: Chiamaka Nnadozie , Tochukwu Oluehi, Morufa Ademola

Defenders: Osinachi Ohale, Oluwatosin Demehin, Michelle Alozie , Nicole Payne, Chidinma Okeke, Jumoke Alani

Midfielders: Deborah Abiodun, Christy Ucheibe , Jennifer Echegini , Toni Payne, Rasheedat Ajibade, Regina Otu

Forwards: Esther Okoronkwo, Asisat Oshoala, Uchenna Kanu, Chiwendu Ihezuo, Chinonyerem Macleans, Ifeoma Onimonu, Gift Monday

Manager – Randy Waldrum

Sports

Chelsea shocked by Fulham

Published

24 hours ago

December 27, 2024

Kayode Sanni-Arewa

High-flying Chelsea were stunned by neighbours Fulham at Stamford Bridge on Thursday, going down 2-1 to a 95th-minute winner from substitute Rodrigo Muniz in the Premier League on Thursday.

It was Fulham’s first win at Stamford Bridge since 1979 and put a dent in second-placed Chelsea’s title hopes as the hosts stay on 35 points, four points off the pace having played two games more than leaders Liverpool who host Leicester City later.

Chelsea took the lead after 16 minutes when Cole Palmer danced past two defenders and slid the ball through Issa Diop’s legs into the bottom corner to score a classy goal.

Chelsea looked in control. Palmer had another two shots on target and Fulham goalkeeper Bernd Leno was called into action with a sharp save from a diving header by Marc Cucurella.

He also tipped over a rocket from captain Enzo Fernandez early in the second half.

But Fulham, who last scored in the league at Stamford Bridge in 2011, showed renewed energy and determination as Chelsea sat back to defend their lead.

It paid off in the 82nd minute when Harry Wilson headed home from close range.

Muniz clinched all three points when he swept home a pass from Sasa Lukic in the dying moments of the match to take Fulham up to eighth with 28 points from 18 games.

Final statistics showed they deserved the win, with 26 touches in the opposition box to Chelsea’s 20, more than 52% possession and 14 shots to the home side’s 12.

It was Chelsea’s first league loss since a 2-1 defeat on Oct. 20 by Liverpool and they risk being overtaken by Arsenal, two points behind, who play lowly Ipswich Town on Friday.

Sports

From Junk Food To Nigerian Fufu With Ewedu Soup : How My Mum Introduces Fufu To Me, Transformed My Game On The Pitch – Ademola Lookman

Published

3 days ago

December 25, 2024

Kayode Sanni-Arewa

Nigeria’s Ademola Lookman, the winner of the Africa Player of the Year award at the 2024 CAF Awards in Marrakech, Morocco.

Lookman was the biggest winner at a star-studded 2024 CAF Awards in Marrakech, as Africa’s best performers for the year were honoured.

Ademola Lookman reflects on a pivotal moment in his life as a Nigerian growing up in the UK.

According to him,”During my childhood in the UK, I often found myself indulging in convenient junk food. It was quick and easy, but not exactly nourishing.

“One day, when I was around ten years old, my mum came to watch me play soccer with my friends. After the game, she noticed that I was frequently knocked down by the other kids when we battled for the ball.

With a concerned look, she said to me, ‘Ademola, my son, I’m not pleased with how easily you fall during the game. You’re a Nigerian, and you should possess the stamina that comes with that heritage.’

The very next day, my mother introduced me to Fufu (Nigeria Food). At first, I was put off by its strong smell, but when paired with ewedu soup, I began to appreciate it. Before long, I noticed a remarkable boost in my stamina.

Looking back, I can’t help but wonder how I would have made it this far without embracing Fufu. I will always carry the pride of representing Nigeria,”he said.

Sports

Super Eagles Coach Eguavoen Undergoes Surgery

Published

3 days ago

December 25, 2024

Kayode Sanni-Arewa

Super Eagles interim coach, Augustine Eguavoen, has undergone a successful surgery in Belgium after several delays. The procedure had been postponed multiple times due to his busy schedule with the team’s 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) qualifiers campaign.

Eguavoen played a key role in leading the Super Eagles to qualify for the 2025 AFCON in November. However, health issues kept him away from the 2024 CHAN qualifiers against Ghana. In his absence, assistant coach Daniel Ogunmodede has taken over responsibilities, guiding the home-based Super Eagles.

In the first leg of the CHAN qualifier in Accra, the Eagles secured a goalless draw, setting up a decisive second leg. The team returned to Nigeria on Tuesday and arrived in Uyo, where they are preparing to host the Black Galaxies at the Godswill Akpabio International Stadium on Saturday, December 28.

Assistant coach Ogunmodede expressed optimism about the upcoming match, emphasizing the importance of a win to secure the team’s place in CHAN 2024. Preparations began immediately upon their arrival, with the squad scheduled for their first training session at the stadium’s practice pitch on Tuesday night, December 24.

The Super Eagles aim to leverage home advantage to achieve victory in this crucial encounter.