WOMEN'S FOOTBALL
Potential tormentor of Super Falcons defence, Sinclair is a vocal advocate of women’s game
Nigeria’s Super Falcons face still challenge in a few hours’ time when they meet Canada in one of the Group B openers. Canada’s captain Christine Sinclair has always preferred doing her talking on the pitch, and as the most prolific goal-scorer in history, her game says plenty.
But in the battle for equity and the desire to leave a legacy with the days left of her illustrious career diminishing, the self-described “shy” Sinclair has become a fierce and vocal advocate for women’s soccer.
“(I hope) I helped leave the sport in a better place than I found it,” Sinclair said in Melbourne on Thursday on her legacy. “For so many years within the Canadian national team, our goal is to continue to move our sport forward.
“And along the way, hopefully inspire the next generation of young Canadians, girls, boys doesn’t matter.”
Mission accomplished for one of the most recognizable Canadian athletes, in any sport. The sheer number of No. 12 Sinclair jerseys – chosen because as a kid she was a fan of Toronto Blue Jays second baseman Roberto Alamar – in the crowd of any Canadian women’s game is proof.
Sinclair will kick off a remarkable sixth World Cup when reigning Olympic champions Canada play Nigeria on Friday in Melbourne. A goal will make the Portland Thorns captain, the all-time leader in international goals with 190 in 323 appearances, the first player in history to score in six World Cups.
“It’s hard to put words to Christine,” said midfielder Sophie Schmidt, who plans to retire after the World Cup. “She’s such a pivotal human being and player for this team. She’s been the face of Canada Soccer for so many years.
“But it’s been incredible to see her development as a captain and leader as well. She was more that quiet, lead-by-example player on the field and she still is. She’s respected worldwide for that. She’s just a class soccer player.
“She’s also taken on the role of being that vocal leader and continuing to drive the sport specifically in Canada. She has such a powerful voice, and I think the beauty of it is she doesn’t use it often. But when she does, it’s extremely impactful.”
SUPPORTING PAY PARITY
Sinclair – known affectionately as “Sinc” or “Sincy” to team mates – said her team’s pay equity battle with Canada Soccer was all but resolved, and praised Janine Beckie, who is sidelined with a torn ACL, for handling negotiations so the players could focus on the tournament.
“It’s about to get done,” Sinclair said. “So honestly, we haven’t thought about it for one second these past couple of weeks, just focusing on playing.”
Canada’s talismanic leader was sympathetic to Nigeria’s own festering pay dispute.
“The world of women’s football is very small, and we all support each other,” Sinclair said. “I feel like each women’s team has to face their battles and obviously this past year we’ve been facing ours, and Nigeria now, with their federation, so we fully support them.
“Every single player in this tournament deserves the world and deserves equal treatment from their federations.”
The Women’s World Cup is getting $150 million in prize money from FIFA, a threefold increase over 2019 but well shy of the $440 million the men received last year in Qatar.
“The women’s game, it’s got a long way to go to catch up to the men’s game,” Sinclair said. “It’s new compared to the men’s game. That being said, although our prize money continues to increase, we’re nowhere near where it should be. It needs to be the exact same as a men’s tournament . . . as players we expect that.”
Sinclair also plays a huge and public role in fundraising efforts for Multiple Sclerosis, the disease her mom Sandra battled for nearly four decades before dying in 2022. MS also kept her mom from travelling to global tournaments such as the Olympics, from which Sinclair has two bronze medals and a gold.
Canada’s victory in Tokyo 2020, Sinclair said, bears no weight on the World Cup, where her team hope to climb the World Cup podium for the first time.
“I mean, it’s got a nice ring to it, not gonna lie,” she laughed. “But it doesn’t change a thing. Around the world, we’re still overlooked, which is fine by us. We were overlooked heading into Tokyo and we showed the world what we’re capable of. I think all it has done is helped us feel that confidence to know that we can beat any team in the world.”
The seventh-ranked Canadians play the Republic of Ireland on July 26 and Australia on July 31.
-Reuters
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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