By Our Correspondent

National News – Nigeria’s Falconets are on the brink of securing another FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup ticket as they head to Lilongwe with a two-goal advantage against Malawi in the final qualifying round.

The return leg will take place at the Bingu National Stadium on Saturday, with kick-off fixed for 2pm Nigerian time.

The Nigerian side is aiming to maintain its record of qualifying for every edition of the tournament since it began in 2002.

The Falconets defeated Malawi 2-0 in the first leg played in Ikenne-Remo last weekend.

An own goal by Maureen Kenneth and a late strike from Kindness Ifeanyi handed Nigeria a comfortable lead ahead of the decisive encounter in Malawi.

Head coach Moses Aduku said the team arrived in Malawi earlier in the week and remains fully focused on sealing qualification for the 2026 FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup scheduled to hold in Poland.

According to Aduku, the players are mentally, tactically, and physically prepared for the challenge, stressing that the team’s objective is to secure victory away from home.

Malawi coach Maggie Chombo, however, believes her side can overturn the deficit with strong support from home fans.

Nigeria remains one of the most successful teams in the history of the competition, having reached the final twice and the semi-finals once.

The Falconets advanced to the final qualifying round after defeating Rwanda 5-0 on aggregate and Senegal 3-1 over two legs.

Elsewhere in the African qualifiers, Ghana will face Uganda in Kampala after securing a slim 2-1 first-leg win, while Cameroon travel to Tanzania with a 3-1 advantage.

Benin Republic will host Ivory Coast after both teams settled for a 1-1 draw in the first leg.