2026 U20 Women’s W/Cup Race: Falconets Return, Head to Ibadan

The victorious Nigeria U20 girls, Falconets, returned to the country from Kigali on Monday morning, after their 1-0 defeat of Rwanda’s She-Amavubi in a 2026 FIFA U20 Women’s World Cup qualifying match on Sunday. Alaba Olabiyi struck with 20 minutes left of the encounter at the Kigali-Pele Stadium to give Nigeria victory and the advantage in the fixture, ahead of the return leg at the Lekan Salami Stadium, Ibadan on Saturday. Players and officials have headed to the Oyo State capital, to continue intensive preparations for Saturday’s final leg of the fixture, with players in high spirit, and eager to impress on home soil and secure passage to the third round of the qualification series.

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24th FIFA U20 World Cup: Flying Eagles Take on Australia in Another Friendly Match

Nigeria’s U20 boys, Flying Eagles, will take on their Australian counterparts in a friendly game on Tuesday. The encounter is part of both teams’ preparations for the 24th FIFA U20 World Cup finals starting in Chile on Saturday. The match, which will be played at the Complejo Deportivo Ruca Mapu in the city of Santiago, will kick off at 5pm Chile time (1pm in Nigeria). On Saturday, Chile’s U20 boys forced the Flying Eagles to a 1-1 draw in a friendly in Rancagua, with Ahmed Akinyele scoring for Nigeria in the 18th minute, before a 36th minute equalizer by Felipe Faúndez. Australia will play in Group D alongside Italy, Cuba and Argentina, while Nigeria will contend with Norway, Saudi Arabia and Colombia in Group F.

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WAFU-B U17 Championship: Golden Eaglets Take on Baby Cheetahs in Yamoussoukro

Five-time world champions Nigeria will begin their quest for another title with a game against their counterparts from Benin Republic in Yamoussoukro on Wednesday, in their first match of the ongoing WAFU-B U17 Championship. Venue is the Stade du Lycee Scientifique. The competition in the Ivorian city is the qualifying tournament for next year’s Africa U17 Cup of Nations, at which Africa’s flag-bearers to the 2026 FIFA U17 World Cup finals in Qatar will be decided. In group A, Cote d’Ivoire defeated Niger Republic 2-0 while Togo and Ghana drew 1-1 as the competition kicked off at the weekend. Burkina Faso’s Baby Stallions on Sunday laboured to a 1-0 win over the Beninoise squad, in the first match of the three-team group B. Cote d’Ivoire, Ghana, Togo and Niger Republic make up group A.

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NWFL Congratulates Newly Promoted Premiership Clubs

The Nigeria Women Football League (NWFL) has extended hearty congratulations to Sunshine Queens, Castmog Ladies, Ahudiyannem Queens, and Imo Striker Queens on their successful promotions to the NWFL Premiership at the conclusion of the 2025 Championship season, staged from September 11 to 21 in Umuahia and Abiriba, Abia State, South-East Nigeria. Sunshine Queens of Ondo State, a government-owned side with Premiership pedigree, return to the elite division. They are joined by three ambitious debutants, Castmog Ladies of Ogun State, Ahudiyannem Queens of Abia State, and Imo Striker Queens of Imo State, all privately owned and making history with their maiden ascent. In a statement on Monday, September 22, 2025, NWFL Chief Operating Officer, Modupe Shabi, commended the promoted clubs for their resilience and quality performances while appreciating other participating clubs. “We warmly congratulate the four teams on their deserved qualification to the Premiership. Their success is a testament to hard work, determination, and commitment to excellence. The NWFL is proud of the quality of football displayed throughout this year’s Championship and we are excited to welcome fresh talents and new clubs into the top division,” said Ms. Shabi. The league organisers also paid glowing tribute to the official sponsor of the 2025 Championship, Dr. Robert Daniel Onyeani, Chairman of Ahudiyannem Queens, whose support was pivotal to the successful delivery of this year’s event. “We owe a special gratitude to Dr. Onyeani for his vision and generosity in sponsoring this Championship. His investment has not only elevated his club but also strengthened the entire ecosystem of women’s football in Nigeria. He has set a laudable benchmark for private sector involvement in our game,” Shabi added. The NWFL COO further appreciated the Abia State Football Association, the Abiriba community, participating clubs, referees, match officials, and fans whose dedication and commitment ensured the smooth organisation and vibrant atmosphere of the tournament. “The unity of purpose displayed by all stakeholders reaffirms our vision to raise the standard of women’s football across Nigeria. We deeply value the contributions of everyone who played a part in making this Championship a success,” Shabi concluded. With the Championship now concluded, the NWFL reiterated its pledge to strengthen its competitions, empower young female footballers, and sustain the Premiership as a benchmark of excellence, integrity, and inclusivity in Nigerian women’s football.

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WAFU-B U17 Boys Tourney: Golden Eaglets Pass MRI Tests

All 20 players of the U17 Boys National Team, Golden Eaglets, to this year’s WAFU-B U17 Boys Tournament in Yamoussoukro, Cote d’Ivoire have scaled the Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) hurdles. The tests were conducted on the players in the early hours of Thursday by the CAF Medical Team. The Eaglets will play their first match of the competition on Wednesday, 24th September against their counterparts from Benin Republic. They will also play Burkina Faso in group B. Hosts Cote d’Ivoire, Ghana, Niger Republic and Togo make up group A.

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2026 U20 World Cup Race: Falconets Battle-Ready for Rwandan Opponents

The Falconets have commenced training in Kigali ahead of Sunday’s 2026 FIFA U20 Women’s World Cup second round, first leg clash with the Rwandan U20 girls. The match will take place at the Kigali-Pele Stadium, formerly known as the Stade Regional Nyamirambo. On Friday morning, the players had a recovery training session at the gym of their hotel. They were full of energy, zeal and motivation as they went through the routine under the guidance and encouragement of the technical crew, showing great spirit and determination. The Confederation of African Football has appointed match officials from Sierra Leone and Liberia to take charge of proceedings of the encounter in Kigali. Aminata Fullah will be the referee, with Liberian Hannah Lydia Moses as assistant referee 1 and another Sierra Leonean, Fatmata Mansaray as assistant referee 2. The fourth official is Love Tuu Wehyee from Liberia. Militna Ivanete Amrie from Seychelles will be the commissioner while Amegee Aissata Ameyo will be the referee assessor. Sunday’s match will kick off at 3pm Rwanda time (2pm in Nigeria).

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Super Eagles Slip on FIFA World Ranking

Former African Champions, Super Eagles have dropped one spot in World football governing body, FIFA monthly world ranking. The Eric Chelle lads are ranked 45th in the world and are sixth in Africa behind Morocco, Senegal, Egypt, Algeria and Cote d’Ivoire. Nigeria won 1483.86 points as against her 1484.26 points in July. Meanwhile, Spain have returned to the ranking summit after a making a sensational start to qualifying for World Cup 26. They kicked off their campaign with a 3-0 win in Bulgaria, then made it back-to-back away victories with a 6-0 trouncing of Turkey. La Roja last topped the ranking back in June 2014, when they were world and European champions. Argentina – the reigning world champions – booked their ticket to next year’s global finals back in March and had already secured top spot in the CONMEBOL qualifying standings before their final-round defeat to Ecuador. That loss has resulted in them losing their grip as the planet’s top-ranked team, however. La Albiceleste are now third, with France second after back-to-back wins over Ukraine and Iceland.

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24th FIFA U20 World Cup: Flying Eagles Begin Training in Santiago

Nigeria’s U20 boys, Flying Eagles, had their first training session in Santiago, Chile on Wednesday evening at Cancha Liga Training Pitch. The session, which lasted for 2 hours, was supervised by head coach Aliyu Zubair. This comes after a recovery session in the morning at the team’s base, Le Meridien Hotel. The Flying Eagles were scheduled to continue training on Thursday in their build-up ahead of the friendly game against Chile U20 team on Saturday, 20th September. They will also play against the Australia U20 team on Tuesday, 23rd September.

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