Nigeria’s Super Falcons have commenced preparations for their first appearance at the Women’s Olympic Football Tournament after 16 years of non-participation in the tournament.

Ademola Olajire, NFF’s Head of Communications in a statement, said the team resumed camping in Spain on Friday with 18 players expected but only 12 have arrived as at Monday morning.

He said their camp in the city of Jerez de la Frontera outside Sevilla has come alive with most of the invited players in camp.

According to him, the team’s administrator Mary Oboduku who was quoted in the statement, two or more players are being expected in the afternoon.

“We started training on Sunday and the team’s camp at Hotel Barceló Montecastillo Golf and Resort is calm.

The players are in very high spirits as they look forward to the tournament in France,” Oboduku said.

Team captain Rasheedat Ajibade and first-choice goalkeeper Chiamaka Nnadozie are at the head of the squad already in camp, with goalkeeper Tochukwu Oluehi, defenders Chidinma Okeke and Nicole Payne.

Midfielders Christy Ucheibe, Toni Payne, Deborah Abiodun, Jennifer Echegini, and forward Esther Okoronkwo are also in camp alongside alternate players, goalkeeper Morufa Ademola and forward Gift Monday.

Defenders Osinachi Ohale and Michelle Alozie were being expected at the team’s hotel Monday afternoon.

The nine-time African champions, who last played at the Women’s Olympic Football Tournament in China in 2008, will take on reigning Olympic champions Canada in a training match in Sevilla on July 17.

Canada’s ladies defeated their counterparts from Sweden 3-2 after a penalty shootout, following a 1-1 draw in regulation and extra time, to clinch the gold medal in Tokyo in 2021.

In their last outing at the Women’s Olympic Football Tournament, the Falcons lost 0-1 to Korea Democratic People’s Republic, 0-1 to Germany and 1-3 to eventual silver medallists Brazil.

Women’s football debuted at the Olympic Games as a demonstration sport in 1996, but the Super Falcons made their entry in 2000 in Australia

They lost 1-3 each to China, eventual winners Norway and eventual silver medalists USA.

Perpetua Nkwocha scored the lone goal against China while Mercy Akide was the scorer against both Norway and USA.

Nigeria’s best outing – so far – at the Women’s Olympic Football Tournament was in Athens 20 years ago, where the Super Falcons finished in 6th place after exiting the tournament in the quarter-finals.

Falcons are in Group C alongside Spain, Brazil and Japan in the tournament scheduled to begin on July 26 to Aug. 11.

Defeat for Portugal at the European Championship on Friday likely brought down the curtain on the extraordinary international career of Cristiano Ronaldo.

While Portugal’s totemic forward has made no pronouncements on his future with the national team, the 39-year-old struggled to revive former glories at the tournament in Germany.

He departed Euro 2024 without scoring apart from in shootouts.

Portugal lost 3-5 to France on penalties in their quarter-final.

This was after a goalless stalemate in which Ronaldo missed a glaring chance in extra time but converted one of the kicks in the shootout.

“It’s too soon and raw after the match to talk about that and there have been no individual decisions made,” coach Roberto Martinez said when asked if it had been Ronaldo’s last game in a Portugal jersey.

There will forever be debates about where he sits among the greatest footballers.

In or behind the exulted company of three-times World Cup winner Pele or the extraordinary talent of Diego Maradona or long-time rival Lionel Messi.

All of them won the World Cup, which Ronaldo has not, but in terms of statistics in national team colours the 39-year-old is out there on his own.

Friday’s loss to France at the Volksparkstadion was Ronaldo’s 212th cap, significantly ahead of Messi who won his 185th for Argentina against Ecuador in the Copa America on Thursday.

Ronaldo’s 130 goals for his country is also way out on its own at the head of most scored in international football, with Messi recently moving second on the list with 108.

“Cristiano is in the national team of Portugal because he deserves to be,” Martinez had said earlier in the tournament.

In terms of longevity few can match Ronaldo, who debuted for Portugal in 2003.

He was 18 years-old when he came on at halftime to replace Luis Figo in a friendly against Kazakhstan in front of roughly 8,000 in Chaves.

Days earlier he had signed for Manchester United, convincing manager Alex Ferguson of his potential after tormenting the team’s defence in a pre-season friendly.

By the next year he was a regular for Portugal as they hosted Euro 2004, upset in the final by Greece.

He is the first to play at six European Championships and his 14 goals in 30 matches is also a Euros record.

He won the trophy in 2016 when Portugal beat hosts France in the final.

Ironically, in Portugal’s Euros triumph Ronaldo went off early in the decider in Paris in tears with a knee injury.

If you add his goals in Euro qualifying, Ronaldo has scored 55 times in the competition, with Harry Kane next on 29.

At the World Cup, Ronaldo has played 22 times, scoring eight goals in five tournaments, while Messi has played four times more and has the appearance record.

In the 21 years Ronaldo has played for Portugal, they have not missed out on qualifying for the World Cup, with a semi-final place in 2006 their best return.

That year, Ronaldo netted the decisive penalty to beat England in the quarter-finals.

It has been an extraordinary career, highlighted by five Ballon d’Or awards, and it is not over yet … certainly not at club level.

Ronaldo top-scored with 35 goals in the Saudi league last season and has another year’s contract at Al Nassr.

Canada claimed a 4-3 penalty shootout win over Venezuela on Friday to reach the Copa America semi-finals for the first time after an absorbing contest finished 1-1 at the AT&T Stadium, Arlington, Texas.

With the teams all square after five attempts each in the shootout, Wilker Angel had his spot-kick saved by Maxime Crepeau and Ismael Kone buried the winning penalty to send Canada through.

“Emotions are running high, I’m so happy for everyone who is supporting us,” Crepeau, who made two saves in the shootout, told Fox Sports.

“It’s a lot of work and now we have the fruit of our hard work. This is amazing to be in the semi-finals of Copa America. I think everybody needs to realise this country and its footballers deserve respect.”

Canada, playing in their first Copa America, will face Argentina in New Jersey on Tuesday for a chance to play in the July 14 final.

The semi-final will be a rematch of the tournament’s opener, in which the defending champions Argentina claimed a 2-0 win.

Canada, who scored just one goal across their three group stage matches, began the match with uncharacteristic urgency.

Their pressure paid off in the 13th minute as Jacob Shaffelburg steered home a Jonathan David cross.

After scoring, Shaffelburg held up the jersey of teammate Tajon Buchanan, who suffered a broken leg in training this week.

Jesse Marsch’s side wasted several chances to extend their lead in the first half, with Shaffelburg testing goalkeeper Rafael Romo from the edge of the area.

While David sent an effort wide of the post after finding himself through one-on-one.

Venezuela pressed for a goal and had more possession, but were largely limited to speculative crosses and shots from range.

All-time leading goalscorer Salomon Rondon twice drawing saves from Crepeau.

Canada’s Cyle Larin fired over the bar from close range in the 52nd minute.

Two minutes later, a rebound fell at the feet of Venezuela’s Jose Martinez in the penalty area at the other end, but his effort also went high.

Venezuela finally found the equaliser in the 64th minute through Rondon, who spotted Canada’s Crepeau off his line and produced an audacious lob that sailed over the scrambling goalkeeper into the empty net.

It was the former Everton and Newcastle United striker’s 44th goal for Venezuela.

Canada responded well to the equaliser and substitute Liam Millar had an effort from a tight angle saved in the 67th minute before Tani Oluwaseyi sent two shots over the crossbar in the span of four minutes.

But neither side was able to find the winner in regulation time.

Venezuela’s exit comes after their perfect group stage campaign, in which they won all three matches.

Their performance at the Copa America bodes well for manager Fernando Batista’s primary aim of earning qualification for a first-ever World Cup.

“This is a long process,” Batista said, through an interpreter.

“We have a huge dream that we’re going for, all Venezuelans want to qualify for the World Cup. And the Copa America gave us a possibility of strengthening our squad.”

After the first six qualifying matches, Venezuela sit fourth in the race for six automatic berths from CONMEBOL for the 2026 World Cup.