Nigeria will, on Wednesday, July 17, face Canada’s women’s national team in Seville, Spain, in the Super Falcons’ final friendly match before heading to France for the 2024 Paris Olympic Games.

The reigning Olympic champions are coming off a fine 2-1 victory over Australia at the Marbella Football Centre in San Pedro de Alcántara. A standout in that match was Simi Awujo, who made her 18th appearance for Canada before being substituted in the second half.

If Canada’s coach Beverly Priestman sticks to the same starting lineup against Nigeria, Awujo will likely take to the pitch with mixed feelings, as she could have been a Super Falcon had circumstances been different.

Who is Simi Awujo?

Simisola Feyishayo Awujo was born on September 23, 2003, in Atlanta, Georgia, to Nigerian parents of Yoruba descent – Dr. Akinwole Awujo, a Medical Doctor, and Dr. Mrs. Shola Okuwa-Awujo, a Pharmacist. With her father holding American citizenship and her mother Canadian citizenship, Awujo had the unique opportunity to play for any of these three countries.

The second child in her family, Simi was raised to balance her studies with sports, excelling in both. She is currently an undergraduate at Southern California University with aspirations of becoming a Pediatric Surgeon. Simi also excelled in athletics, winning honors with the school’s 4×100 and 4×400 relay teams before focusing on football.

Her football journey saw her represent the United States U17 at a UEFA Women’s Development Tournament in the Czech Republic in 2019. However, Canada convinced her to switch allegiance, and in 2022 she was part of the team for the CONCACAF Women’s U-20 Championship and the FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup.

In a group stage match against Nigeria at the 2022 U-20 World Cup in Costa Rica, Simi started for Canada, wearing jersey number 13. Despite Canada losing that match 3-1, Simi’s talent was evident.

In September 2022, Simi made her senior debut for Canada. She won the 2022 Canada Soccer Young Player of the Year award and scored her first senior international goal on December 1, 2023, in a 5–0 victory against Australia.

Still a fan of Nigerian jollof, Simi brings energy, physical presence, and flavor to Canada’s midfield. On Wednesday, the 20-year-old will look to test her skills against Nigeria’s Deborah Abiodun and Oluwatosin Demehin, who were part of the victorious Falconets side and are now key players for the Super Falcons.

In Marbella, Spain, 8th-ranked Canada will be favorites to overcome 36th-ranked Nigeria in a closed-door training match. While Nigeria’s U20 team has a perfect record against Canada, the Canadian senior team holds a better head-to-head record against the Super Falcons.

Nigeria has won one, lost two, and drawn three of their previous six games against Canada. Both teams played out a goalless draw in the group stage of last year’s FIFA World Cup, with goalkeeper Chiamaka Nnadozie notably stopping a second-half penalty from Christine Sinclair.

For Nigeria, this friendly is a preparation game to fine-tune strategies developed during their training camp in Spain. For Simi, it is an opportunity to prove her choice to play for Canada over Nigeria was the right one.