WOMEN'S FOOTBALL
Falconets, Flamingos draw Super Eagles’ World Cup qualifying opponents in Women’s World Cup Qualifiers
Nigeria’s age-grade women’s national teams have been drawn to face countries that the Men’s national team, the Super Eagles are facing in the quest for World Cup qualifications.
The Super Eagles still have World Cup qualifying matches with South Africa, Rwanda and Zimbabwe, the three teams that the U-17 women’s side, Flamingos and the U-20 team Falconets will respectively face in the qualifying for the age-grade Women’s World Cup.
In the draw made in Cairo, Egypt on Thursday, the Flamingos will begin their journey from the second round where they will face the winners of the first-round match of Gabon and South Africa.
In the U-20 category, the Nigeria Falconets also advance to the second round, awaiting the winners of the Rwanda/Zimbabwe first-round clash.
For the U-17 World Cup qualifying series in which four teams are expected to qualify, there are 28 entries.
The four successful teams in the qualifiers will join Morocco, hosts, at the global showpiece set to take place between 17 October – 08 November 2025 in Morocco.
The FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup will for the first time be contested by 24 nations following its expansion from 16 teams.
The African qualifiers will be played over three knockout rounds of home and away to determine the qualified nations.
The first leg round of qualifiers will be played between 10 – 12 January 2025 for the first round ahead of the first leg return fixtures between 17 – 19 January.
The second round of qualifiers which will have been narrowed down to 16 nations will take place between 07 – 09 March ahead of the return fixtures set to take place between 14 – 16 March 2025.
The qualifiers officially conclude in April 2025 when the third and final rounds take place for the eight remaining nations.
The third round first legs will take place between 18 – 20 April, with the final round of qualifiers to determine the qualified nations to be decided between 25 – 27 April 2025.
FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup Qualifiers Draw Results:
ROUND 1:
- M1, 2: Namibia vs Uganda
- M3, 4: Egypt vs Cameroon
- M5, 6: Zimbabwe vs Ethiopia
- M7, 8: Eswatini vs Tanzania
- M9, 10: Congo vs Benin
- M11, 12: DR Congo vs Niger
- M13, 14: Gabon vs South Africa
- M15, 16: Equatorial Guinea vs Botswana
- M17, 18: Tunisia vs Algeria
- M19, 20: Cote d’Ivoire vs Senegal
- M21, 22: Sierra Leone vs Central Africa Republic
- M23, 24: Togo vs Guinea
ROUND 2:
- M25, 26: Namibia x Uganda vs Kenya
- M27, 28: Egypt X Cameroon vs Zimbabwe x Ethiopia
- M29, 30: Eswatini x Tanzania vs Zambia
- M31, 32: Congo x Benin vs DR Congo x Niger
- M33, 34: Gabon x South Africa vs Nigeria
- M35, 36: Equatorial Guinea x Botswana vs Tunisia x Algeria
- M37, 38: Cote d’Ivoire x Senegal vs Burundi
- M39, 40: Sierra Leone x Central Africa Republic vs Togo x Guinea
ROUND 3
- M41, 42: Winner 25, 26 vs Winner 27, 28
- M43, 44: Winner 29, 30 vs Winner 31, 32
- M45, 46: Winner 33, 34 vs Winner 35, 36
- M47, 48: Winner 37, 38 vs Winner 39, 40
In the U-20 Women’s World Cup African qualifiers draw, the tournament, scheduled for August 2026, will feature 24 nations, including four representatives from Africa.
A total of 38 African teams are vying for the four coveted slots, with the qualifiers set to unfold over four knockout rounds of home-and-away fixtures.
The first round will be contested by the 12 lowest-ranked teams, based on previous U-20 Women’s World Cup qualifiers performance.
The six winners will advance to join the 26 top-ranked teams exempted from the first round.
The six first-round winners and 26 exempted teams will form 32 teams. These will battle it out for 16 spots in the third round.
The remaining 16 teams in the third round will compete in a knockout format to determine the eight teams advancing to the fourth round which will comprise of eight teams.
The final eight teams will play knockout ties, with the winners earning qualification to the 2026 FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup.
FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup African Qualifiers Draw Results
First Round
- M1, 2: Gabon vs Niger
- M3, 4: Togo vs Tunisia
- M5, 6: Gambia vs Côte d’Ivoire
- M7, 8: Rwanda vs Zimbabwe
- M9, 10: South Sudan vs Djibouti
- M11, 12: Malawi vs Central African Republic
Second Round
- M13, 14: Gabon/Niger vs Cameroon
- M15, 16: Botswana vs Mozambique
- M17, 18: Ethiopia vs Kenya
- M19, 20: Tanzania vs Angola
- M21, 22: Togo/Tunisia vs Ghana
- M23, 24: Eswatini vs South Africa
- M25, 26: Uganda vs Namibia
- M27, 28: Burundi vs Zambia
- M29, 30: Gambia/Côte d’Ivoire vs Morocco
- M31, 32: Mali vs DR Congo
- M33, 34: Equatorial Guinea vs Egypt
- M35, 36: Benin vs Guinea
- M37, 38: Rwanda/Zimbabwe vs Nigeria
- M39, 40: Senegal vs Algeria
- M41, 42: Guinea-Bissau vs Congo
- M43, 44: South Sudan/Djibouti vs Malawi/Central African Republic
Third Round Fixtures
- M45, 46: Winner M13, M14 vs Winner M15, M16
- M47, 48: Winner M17, M18 vs Winner M19, M20
- M49, 50: Winner M21, M22 vs Winner M23, M24
- M51, 52: Winner M25, M26 vs Winner M27, M28
- M53, 54: Winner M29, M30 vs Winner M31, M32
- M55, 56: Winner M33, M34 vs Winner M35, M36
- M57, 58: Winner M37, M38 vs Winner M39, M40
- M59, 60: Winner M41, M42 vs Winner M43, M44
Fourth Round Fixtures
- M61, 62: Winner M45, M46 vs Winner M47, M48
- M63, 64: Winner M49, M50 vs Winner M51, M52
- M65, 66: Winner M53, M54 vs Winner M55, M56
- M67, 68: Winner M57, M58 vs Winner M59, M60
Round-by-Round Timeline
- First Round Matches: First leg: 9–11 May 2025 | Second leg: 16–18 May 2025.
- Second Round Matches: First leg: 19–21 September 2025 | Second leg: 26–28 September 2025.
- Third Round Matches: First leg: 6–8 February 2026 | Second leg: 12–14 February 2026.
- Fourth Round Matches: First leg: 1–3 May 2026 | Second leg: 8–10 May 2026.
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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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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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