Nigeria’s U-20 women’s team, the Falconets, booked their spot in the final round of the African qualifiers for the FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup 2026 after a 2-1 victory against Senegal in Diamniadio on Saturday.
With a 3-1 aggregate win, Nigeria will now meet Malawi U-20 girls in the decisive round in May, as Africa prepares to send four teams to the global tournament in Poland 2026.
Ifeanyi and Oscar Shine for Nigeria
Kindness Ifeanyi opened the scoring for the Falconets in the 19th minute with a powerful header from a corner kick, echoing her similar strike at the MKO Abiola Stadium in Abeokuta a week earlier.
Precious Oscar doubled the lead in the 69th minute, also converting a corner kick assist from Tumininu Adeshina, giving Nigeria a commanding advantage. Senegal pulled one back through Sokhna N.T. Pene in the 76th minute, but it was too little to stop the Falconets from securing qualification.
Next Challenge: Malawi
Malawi advanced to the final round by edging Guinea-Bissau and will now face the Falconets in May, with the winner securing a coveted spot at the FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup in Poland this September.
The Falconets remain strong contenders to claim one of Africa’s four berths at the global tournament, with the team showing impressive set-piece efficiency and tactical discipline in their win over Senegal.
