WOMEN'S FOOTBALL
Nigeria pay gripes remain but players focused on World Cup says Waldrum
Nigeria head into the Women’s World Cup with pay disputes still festering but players have set aside their grievances to focus on their opener against Canada on Friday, coach Randy Waldrum said.
The ‘Super Falcons’ have won their last three friendlies against New Zealand, Haiti and Costa Rica but off the pitch they have been at loggerheads with the Nigerian football association over pay and conditions.
In a podcast earlier this month, American Waldrum said he was owed seven months’ wages and some of his players had not been paid in two years.
Nigerian media reported the team were considering boycotting matches at the World Cup in Australia and New Zealand but Waldrum said none of his players were opting out of selection for Canada in Melbourne on Friday.
“We’ll be there. All of that transpired before we came and I think the team, once we all arrived here, have just focused on Canada,” the American told Reuters after training on Wednesday.
“We met about it the first night we arrived and at that point we all just agreed not to continue to discuss it, not let it be out there and that we’re here to do a job.
“Let’s focus on that job and let the appropriate people handle it.”
Waldrum declined to provide details on his players’ complaints but was not confident they would be resolved by the end of the July 20-Aug. 20 tournament.
“I really don’t know. Coming from the U.S. and working with the federation, I found very quickly things happen at a very different pace than what you may be used to or what we may be used to in our culture,” he said.
The Nigeria Football Federation did not provide immediate comment.
Texan Waldrum, a former coach of U.S. team Houston Dash, praised his players for keeping their minds on the job as they look to reach the knockout rounds from one of the toughest groups, which includes hosts Australia and debutants Ireland.
“I’ve been pleased about it because this very easily could be weighing and be a burden on the team, but I haven’t seen that they’ve allowed that to happen,” he added.
“They’ve handled everything very professionally.
“I don’t think you’ll get any of the players commenting at all during the tournament about it.”
Pay complaints have overshadowed the leadup to the World Cup, with Olympic champions Canada and Euro 2022 holders England among a raft of teams wanting more from their federations.
Other sides have lamented a lack of resources to adequately prepare, including Jamaica, whose players resorted to crowdfunding to help cover costs.
Waldrum said Nigeria, 11-times Women’s Africa Cup of Nations champions, had the means to make the World Cup’s knockout phase but home fans’ expectations that they should be at the top of women’s football were unrealistic.
“At some point there has got to become a realisation about all the things we do day-to-day with how the federation treats the players and how they provide resources for proper training, travel and all those issues,” he said.
“It doesn’t mean that Nigeria or any of the African nations at this World cup can’t achieve a lot and make a deep run.
“But if you want to be a top team year-in, year-out, you’ve obviously got to be willing to provide more resources.”
-Reuters
Spain thrashed England 4-0 to move a step closer to automatic qualification for next year’s Women’s World Cup finals, with Germany booking their spot thanks to a comfortable 2-0 home win over Norway in the penultimate round of European qualifiers on Friday.
With the top teams from each of the four A groups qualifying automatically, Germany’s win gave them an unassailable four-point lead over Norway in Group A4 with one game left, while Spain and England are both locked on 12 points at the top of Group A3.
England’s hopes of securing a spot with a win in Mallorca were quickly snuffed out, with Patri Guijarro giving the Spaniards the lead in the 19th minute and Alexia Putellas making it 2-0 before the break.
There appeared to be nothing England could do to stop the Spanish juggernaut, with Putellas adding a second goal 10 minutes after the break and Claudio Pina putting the icing on the cake with a goal from a superb pass by Aitana Bonmati to make it 4-0.
England retain a chance of qualifying directly, but they will have to get a better result when they host Ukraine next Tuesday than Spain manage in their final fixture away to Iceland.
There was late drama in Group A2 as Ireland’s Amber Barrett netted a 90th-minute goal to snatch a 3-2 home win over the Netherlands to move above the Dutch and into second place in the group, one point behind leaders France, who beat Poland 2-0.
The Irish play France in their final game in Grenoble, with the Dutch taking on Poland at home.
Earlier, Pernille Harder came off the bench and scored the winner for Denmark as they downed neighbours Sweden 2-1 to end the Swedes’ hopes of qualifying directly.
The Danes top Group A1 on 11 points ahead of their final game against bottom side Serbia, while second-placed Italy, who are three points behind the leaders, next host Sweden.
-Reuters
By Kunle Solaja.
Nigeria’s Falconets have been handed a challenging but promising draw for the FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup in Poland after they were placed in Group F alongside former champions Spain, China PR and debutants New Caledonia.
The draw for the 12th edition of the FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup was conducted in Lodz on Thursday, setting the stage for the tournament scheduled to run from 5 to 27 September across four Polish cities.
Nigeria, one of Africa’s most successful teams at the competition, will face a stern opening-round test against European powerhouse Spain, which won the title in Costa Rica in 2022. China PR also brings a considerable pedigree to the group, while New Caledonia will be making their maiden appearance at the global finals.
The Falconets will be hoping to improve on their performance at the last edition and rekindle memories of their best outings, when they reached the final in 2010 and 2014.
Hosts Poland headline Group A alongside Argentina, Benin and Mexico, while defending champions Korea DPR begin their title defence in Group E against Colombia, Costa Rica and Portugal.
Other intriguing group-stage fixtures include Brazil, England, Canada and Tanzania in Group B, while France, Korea Republic, Ghana and Ecuador make up Group C. Group D features former champions Japan and USA alongside New Zealand and Italy.
The full draw is as follows:
- Group A: Poland, Mexico, Argentina, Benin
- Group B: Brazil, England, Canada, Tanzania
- Group C: France, Korea Republic, Ghana, Ecuador
- Group D: Japan, USA, New Zealand, Italy
- Group E: Korea DPR, Colombia, Costa Rica, Portugal
- Group F: Spain, Nigeria, China PR, New Caledonia
The tournament will mark Poland’s first major global women’s football event, with matches to be played in Bielsko-Biała, Katowice, Lodz and Sosnowiec.
Six nations — Benin, Ecuador, New Caledonia, Poland, Portugal and Tanzania — will make their debut appearances, while Korea DPR and the USA are both chasing a record fourth title.
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Nigeria’s Falconets will discover their opponents for the 2026 FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup when the official draw is conducted in Łódź, Poland, on May 15, as preparations intensify for another campaign on the global stage.
The draw ceremony, confirmed by football’s world governing body, FIFA, will take place in one of the tournament’s host cities and will be broadcast live worldwide on FIFA+, YouTube and TikTok.
Nigeria, one of the most successful nations in the history of the competition, heads into the draw with renewed ambition after securing qualification for the tournament, which will run from September 5 to 27 across the Polish cities of Bielsko-Biała, Katowice, Łódź and Sosnowiec.
The Falconets remain one of Africa’s strongest representatives at the FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup, having reached the final twice in the competition’s history. The Nigerian side will now await the outcome of the draw to know their group-stage opponents among the 24 qualified teams expected to battle for the title.
Former Polish international and current women’s national team coach Nina Patalon and French football legend Laura Georges will participate in the ceremony, underscoring the growing profile of women’s football globally.
Speaking ahead of the event, Patalon described the draw as a defining moment for both participating teams and supporters.
“The draw always brings a special sense of excitement, as it is the moment when the competition truly starts to feel real for both the teams and the fans,” she said.
She also highlighted the importance of hosting the tournament in Poland, noting that it could inspire more young girls to embrace football and further accelerate the development of the women’s game in the country.
The 12th edition of the FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup is expected to showcase some of the brightest emerging talents in women’s football, with Nigeria’s Falconets aiming to make another strong impression on the world stage
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