By Amaechi Agbo

Nigeria’s Super Falcons will take on Canada in the Group B first match of the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup on July 21 next year.

Both teams met twice last year in friendly encounters with the Canadians drawing 2-2 in the first match before defeating the West Africans 2- in the second leg played in April.

The World Cup which will feature 32 teams for the first time in history will hold from July 20 to August 20, 2023.

Nigeria, Canada, Northern Ireland and Australia were paired in Group B of the 32-team global tournament.

The Super Falcons will then take on Australia on the 27thbof July before they round-off their preliminary campaign with a date against Republic of Ireland on July 31.

Nigeria, alongside USA, Brazil, Norway, Sweden, Germany and Japan are the only seven countries to have featured in all previous editions of the FIFA Women’s World Cup, between China 1991 and France 2019.

The Falcons were on tour of Canada six months ago, where they played two matches against Olympic champions Canada, losing one narrowly and drawing the other.

The 29 qualified nations can now advance their plans for next year’s tournament, which will be the first to be co-hosted by two nations from different Confederations, and the first FIFA Women’s World Cup to feature 32 teams.

The Draw outcomes will also further serve to inspire the nations competing in February’s Play-Off Tournament, as they plot their paths to the groups – D, E, and F – that re

The FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023 Draw was conducted by women’s football great Carli Lloyd – a two-time FIFA Women’s World Cup champion – and sports anchor Amanda Davies.

Julie Dolan and Cate Campbell represented Australia as Draw Assistants, with Maia Jackman and Zoi Sadowski-Synnott representing Aotearoa New Zealand. FIFA Legends Ian Wright (England), Geremi (Cameroon), Alexi Lalas (United States of America) and Gilberto Silva (Brazil) also featured as Draw Assistants, while Kirstie Stanway and Mel McLaughlin had the honour of being the Draw Hosts.