2026 FIFA U20 Women’s World Cup Race: Falconets return, head to Ibadan
The victorious Nigeria U20 girls, Falconets, returned to the country from Kigali on Monday morning, after their 1-0 defeat of Rwanda’s She-Amavubi in a 2026 FIFA U20 Women’s World Cup qualifying match on Sunday.
Alaba Olabiyi struck with 20 minutes left of the encounter at the Kigali-Pele Stadium to give Nigeria victory and the advantage in the fixture, ahead of the return leg at the Lekan Salami Stadium, Ibadan on Saturday.
Players and officials have headed to the Oyo State capital, to continue intensive preparations for Saturday’s final leg of the fixture, with players in high spirit, and eager to impress on home soil and secure passage to the third round of the qualification series.
24th FIFA U20 World Cup: Flying Eagles take on Australia in another friendly match
Nigeria’s U20 boys, Flying Eagles, will take on their Australian counterparts in a friendly game on Tuesday. The encounter is part of both teams’ preparations for the 24th FIFA U20 World Cup finals starting in Chile on Saturday.
The match, which will be played at the Complejo Deportivo Ruca Mapu in the city of Santiago, will kick off at 5pm Chile time (1pm in Nigeria).
On Saturday, Chile’s U20 boys forced the Flying Eagles to a 1-1 draw in a friendly in Rancagua, with Ahmed Akinyele scoring for Nigeria in the 18th minute, before a 36th minute equalizer by Felipe Faúndez.
Australia will play in Group D alongside Italy, Cuba and Argentina, while Nigeria will contend with Norway, Saudi Arabia and Colombia in Group F.
WAFU-B U17 Championship: Golden Eaglets take on Baby Cheetahs in Yamoussoukro
Five-time world champions Nigeria will begin their quest for another title with a game against their counterparts from Benin Republic in Yamoussoukro on Wednesday, in their first match of the ongoing WAFU-B U17 Championship. Venue is the Stade du Lycee Scientifique.
The competition in the Ivorian city is the qualifying tournament for next year’s Africa U17 Cup of Nations, at which Africa’s flag-bearers to the 2026 FIFA U17 World Cup finals in Qatar will be decided.
In group A, Cote d’Ivoire defeated Niger Republic 2-0 while Togo and Ghana drew 1-1 as the competition kicked off at the weekend.
Burkina Faso’s Baby Stallions on Sunday laboured to a 1-0 win over the Beninoise squad, in the first match of the three-team group B. Cote d’Ivoire, Ghana, Togo and Niger Republic make up group A.
