[Football News] Super Falcons to battle Canada, Australia, Ireland in World Cup group

Ahead of the 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup, the Super Falcons of Nigeria were placed in Group B alongside co-hosts Australia, Canada, and debutants Republic of Ireland.

On Saturday, the draw was held at the Aotea Center in Auckland, New Zealand.

On July 21, 2023, the Falcons will face Canada, the defending women's Olympic champion, before taking on co-hosts Australia on July 27.

The Falcons' last group game will be against Republic of Ireland on July 31.

Recall that in a two-legged friendly in April of this year, Canada hosted the Falcons.

The Canadians defeated the former African champions 2-0 in the first encounter before holding them to a 2-2 draw in the subsequent friendly match.

The only other occasion the Falcons met Australia was in the 2015 Women's World Cup group stage, a match that the Australians won 2-0.

Banyana Banyana of South Africa, the winners of the Women's Africa Cup of Nations (WAFCON), are in Group G with Sweden, Argentina, and Italy.

Zambia, who defeated the Falcons 1-0 in the women's Cup of Nations final in Morocco this year, is in Group C with Costa Rica, Japan, and Spain.

Morocco, the WAFCON hosts this year, will compete in Group H against Germany, South Korea, and Colombia.

The ninth iteration of the four-year competition is slated to take place in 2023.

The FIFA Women's World Cup will feature two host nations for the first time in 2019 when Australia and New Zealand will share hosting duties.

The Women's World Cup will grow from 24 to 32 teams during its scheduled dates of 20 July–20 August 2023.

The United States is the reigning champion after winning the two prior competitions in 2015 and 2019. The Republic of Ireland,the Philippines, Vietnam, Morocco, and Zambia will compete in their first Women's World Cup.

In each group, the top two teams advance to the round of 16.