Boureima Amadou
The Senegal women’s national football team is set to battle Tunisia in the second round of the Los Angeles 2028 (LA28) Olympic qualifying series. This home-and-away encounter is scheduled to take place in October 2026.
The draw for the African women’s Olympic qualification tournament was held on Wednesday, April 29, outlining the competitive roadmap for teams participating from June 1, 2026, to December 4, 2027.
Structure of the qualifying rounds
The qualification journey consists of five rounds of knockout matches. The first round is reserved for the six teams lowest in the FIFA rankings: Sudan will play Comores, South Sudan will meet Madagascar, and Mauritius will go up against Djibouti.
Most other nations will join the fray in the second round this October. Notable matchups include Morocco, finalists in the last Women’s AFCON, taking on Congo. A high-profile meeting with Nigeria—the reigning African champions who participated in Paris 2024—could be on the horizon as early as the third round.
The path for Senegal and other African nations
For Senegal, victory against Tunisia would set up a third-round clash against the winner of the Mali vs Bénin fixture. Meanwhile, Algeria will begin their road to Los Angeles with an opening match in the Central African Republic.
Zambia, who represented the continent at the Paris 2024 Games, will need to overcome Uganda and potentially Ghana to secure a third consecutive appearance on the Olympic stage.
Mariama Hamani
