WOMEN'S FOOTBALL
Two Nigerian women’s clubs get financial boost from FIFA
Following the record-setting FIFA Women’s World Cup Australia and New Zealand 2023, 1,041 clubs from 48 FIFA Member Associations across all six confederations are to receive a share of the revenue for the release of players who participated in the tournament.
Going by the final list of players submitted by the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) to the tournament, two domestic club sides, Abia Angels and Rivers Angels will profit from the $11 million largess.
The funds have been made available via FIFA’s Club Benefits Programme (CBP), which was introduced ahead of the FIFA Women’s World Cup France 2019 to recognise the fundamental role that clubs play in developing players. The total amount committed to clubs that released and/or trained the stars of women’s football rose to USD 11.3m for the 2023 edition of the FIFA Women’s World Cup™ from USD 8.48m four years earlier.
Nearly two million fans at the tournament’s ten stadiums – and two billion following around the world – witnessed a new standard of women’s football at last year’s FIFA Women’s World Cup, and now the clubs that played integral roles in shaping the talents of all 736 players at the tournament are to be rewarded.
“Strong clubs are crucial to the growth of women’s football, so distributing funding to over 1,000 clubs that have been instrumental in developing the world’s top female footballers is just one way that FIFA can offer its support,” said FIFA President Gianni Infantino yesterday.
“What’s truly unique about this programme is that FIFA does not only reward the clubs that released the players for the tournament but also the clubs that have contributed to each player’s development between the ages of 12 and 22.
This development also means that most of the players who began their careers in Nigeria before their sojourn overseas will benefit from the gesture from the world football body.
“This model ensures that crucial funding as well as the incentive for clubs to provide the best possible training and environment for female talent – reaches every part of the global football ecosystem, benefiting grassroots and professional clubs.”
The number of clubs that were identified by FIFA as eligible to receive payments via the FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023 CBP increased by 219 clubs from 822 in 2019 to 1,041 in 2023. Positively, the number of clubs across FIFA’s Member Associations also increased from 39 in 2019 to 48 in 2023.
Each club’s share has been determined by the role that they played in a player’s development or participation in the tournament, either as a releasing club, a training club, or both.
Each eligible releasing club will receive an equal amount per player per day at the tournament, counting from the beginning of the release period (10 July 2023) and finishing the day following the last match of the player’s national team at the tournament.
Each training club will receive an amount based on the number of training periods the player spent at the club between ages 12 and 22, with each year consisting of a maximum of two training periods. The number of days that the player spent at the tournament is also factored in, however, the number of minutes played by a player in any given match at the tournament is irrelevant, with all players treated equally based on the number of days that they were at the tournament.
In the 1,043 clubs, UEFA dominated in numbers with 581 Asia Federation was next with 151 clubs while CONCACAF was next with 108 just as COMEBOL followed with 95 and then CAF with 76 clubs and Oceania Federation took the rear with just 30 clubs.
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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Alongside the USA and Brazil, Nigeria will head to Poland as one of only three nations to have appeared at every edition of the FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup.
As of Saturday night, only Nigeria and Nigeria women’s national under-20 football team and Ghana women’s national under-20 football team have secured qualification for the 2026 FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup in Poland after overcoming Malawi and Uganda, respectively, in the final round of African qualifiers.
Nigeria maintained their remarkable record of appearing at every edition of the global tournament, joining the United States and Brazil as the only nations to achieve the feat.
The Falconets were pushed to the limit by Malawi in Lilongwe after carrying a 2-0 advantage from the first leg in Ikenne. Malawi made a dream start when Faith Chinzimu scored from a set-piece in the eighth minute to ignite hopes of a comeback.
Nigeria struggled to reproduce the dominance they displayed at home, and the tie swung dramatically in the hosts’ favour in the 57th minute when Chinzimu completed her brace after breaking down the left flank before calmly finishing past the Nigerian goalkeeper.
At 2-0 on the day, the aggregate score was level, and the Falconets were suddenly under severe pressure. However, Malawi captain Leticia Chinyamula made a costly error that allowed substitute Oscar Precious to seize possession, drive into the penalty area and fire home the decisive goal for Nigeria.
The strike restored Nigeria’s aggregate lead and effectively ended Malawi’s hopes, as the Falconets held on to secure passage to Poland despite the 2-1 defeat on the day.
Coach Moses Aduku’s side will now prepare for another appearance at the world finals, where Nigeria remain one of the competition’s most consistent teams.
Ghana also survived a tense encounter to qualify for their eighth consecutive FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup.
The Black Princesses travelled to Kampala holding a narrow 2-1 first-leg advantage over Uganda. Still, the hosts drew level on aggregate through a moment of brilliance from Sylvia Kabene, whose powerful strike from the left wing flew into the top corner beyond goalkeeper Belinda Maku.
Combined with Agnes Nabukenya’s away goal in the first leg, Uganda briefly looked set to progress.
But Ghana responded strongly after the break despite being reduced to 10 players. Captain Linda Owusu Ansah proved the hero, curling a superb set-piece from near the corner flag directly into the far top corner to send the Black Princesses through.
While Nigeria will continue their ever-present run at the tournament, Ghana will be hoping to advance beyond the group stage for the first time in their history when the competition kicks off in September.
The remaining African qualification spots will be decided on Sunday when Tanzania face Cameroon, and Benin take on Côte d’Ivoire in the final return-leg matches.
The FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup Poland 2026 will take place from September 5 to 27 across four host cities
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Nigeria’s U-20 girls, the Falconets, are on the verge of extending their remarkable record of appearing at every edition of the FIFA U20 Women’s World Cup since the competition began in 2002.
The Falconets will face Malawi on Saturday at the Bingu National Stadium in the second leg of the final qualifying round for the Poland 2026 tournament, carrying a 2-0 advantage from the first leg played in Ikenne-Remo last weekend.
Nigeria have featured at every edition of the competition, beginning with the inaugural tournament in Canada in 2002 when it was still a U-19 championship. The Falconets also competed in Thailand 2004 before the tournament was upgraded to the U-20 level ahead of the 2006 finals in Russia.
Since then, the Nigerian girls have remained ever-present at the global championship, appearing in Chile 2008, Germany 2010, Japan 2012, Canada 2014, Papua New Guinea 2016, France 2018, Costa Rica 2022 and Colombia 2024.
The Falconets’ best performances came when they finished runners-up at Germany 2010 and Canada 2014, while they reached the semi-finals in Japan 2012.
Head coach Moses Aduku expressed confidence ahead of Saturday’s decisive clash.
“We are here to play and to win. The players understand the importance of this match, and we are fully prepared mentally, tactically, and physically for the challenge ahead,” Aduku said during Friday’s pre-match press conference.
Nigeria swept past Rwanda and Senegal in earlier qualifying rounds and are now aiming to complete the job against Malawi to seal another World Cup appearance.
Kick-off for Saturday’s encounter is scheduled for 3:00 pm Malawi time (2:00 pm Nigeria time).
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