Reviewed by: Liv George
Oak Mountain’s Payne sisters competing for Nigeria in 2024 Olympics
Reading time: 3 minutes
Nicole and Toni Payne were born in Birmingham nearly six years apart so they did not spend a majority of their lives on the same teams due to the age gap.
But now that both are professional soccer players, the sisters have an opportunity to experience something special together: their first trip to the Olympics.
The Paynes are already in Paris getting ready to compete with the Nigerian women’s soccer team. Keep reading to find out more about their careers + how you can watch them through the games.
This is the fifth part in our series highlighting Olympians with ties to the state of Alabama. Do you know of any Alabama athletes set to compete in Paris? Let us know so we can add them to our series.
Toni Payne
Toni and Nicole both played at Oak Mountain High School, along with different clubs around the Birmingham area. Their father, Oyeleke Payne, played at Alabama A&M and is now a well-known coach around the state.
Toni graduated from Oak Mountain in 2013, finishing her career with a state championship and as the state’s Gatorade Player of the Year. She went on to play collegiately at Duke, recording 23 goals and 21 assists in 86 starts for the Blue Devils.
At the international level, Toni began by playing for the United States youth teams but made the switch to Nigeria, where their parents are from, in 2019. She eventually made her debut for the Eagles in 2021 and eventually made an appearance in the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup.
Toni has had a busy summer even before the Olympics, making the move from Sevilla to Everton after six seasons in Spain.
Nicole Payne
Nicole followed in her sister’s footsteps, playing for Oak Mountain and local club teams while playing at the international level with U.S. youth teams.
She went on to play for West Virginia and USC at the college level, appearing in 53 games including 44 starts as a defender for the Mountaineers. Nicole went out west for her senior year, starting 15 games for the Trojans.
In 2021, Nicole made the commitment with her sister to play for Nigeria’s senior team. The two first took the field together during the USWNT Summer Series in Houston.
At the club level, Nicole made the move to top European side Paris Saint-Germain in 2023. She most recently played with the Portland Thorns on a loan spell from PSG.
How to watch
Nigeria will get at least three matches at the Olympics, needing to finish in the top two of its group to move on to the quarterfinals. Here is the team’s schedule (central time) for the group stage + how to watch:
- Thursday, July 25: vs. Brazil | 12PM | Telemundo + Peacock
- Sunday, July 28: vs. Spain | 12PM | Telemundo + Peacock
- Wednesday, July 31: vs. Japan | 10AM | Peacock
You can see the full soccer schedule + more details on how to stream on the Olympics website.
Do you know any athletes with local ties that will be competing in Paris? Send us an email to let us know what they are competing in!
