Poland 2026: Falconets Show Fighting Spirit in Win over FC Robo

Nigeria’s U-20 Women National Team, the Falconets, continued their build-up to the first-leg encounter against Senegal with a 2–1 victory over Nigeria Women Premier League top team, FC Robo in a friendly match played in Ibadan.   As earlier reported, the Falconets arrived in Ibadan on Monday, 27 January 2026, to intensify preparations for the crucial fixture scheduled for Saturday, 7 February 2026, at the Lekan Salami Stadium, Ibadan. The friendly match against FC Robo formed part of the technical crew’s assessment programme aimed at testing the team’s performance, tactical execution, and match fitness ahead of the upcoming tie.   Reacting after the encounter, Head Coach Moses Aduku expressed satisfaction with the outcome while noting areas for improvement. “So far, so good. We won the game, but there are still little adjustments to be made in the team ahead of Saturday’s game against the Senegalese.   “However, there were positives, especially the fighting spirit. The way the girls responded to score the winning goal was very encouraging. It showed character, resilience, and the determination not to relent in our quest to qualify.”

Read More

Poland 2026: Falconets to Battle Senegal at MKO Abiola Sports Complex, Abeokuta

The Confederation of African Football has approved a request by the Nigeria Football Federation for a change of venue of the 2026 FIFA U20 Women’s World Cup third round, first leg qualifying match between Nigeria and Senegal, scheduled for Saturday, 7th February 2026.   NFF’s Director of Competitions, Ruth David, confirmed that the match will now be played at the MKO Abiola Sports Complex in Abeokuta, the Ogun State capital.   According to her, the NFF requested for a change of venue as a result of the deteriorating state of the playing pitch of the Lekan Salami Stadium, Ibadan that had earlier been approved for the match, and which actually hosted the Falconets’ second round, second leg clash with the Rwanda U20 girls in September last year.   In view of this development, the two-time FIFA World silver-medallists, who had been training in Ibadan ahead of the match, are expected to relocate to Abeokuta in a few days, in order to familiarize themselves with the turf of the MKO Abiola Sports Complex.   The Falconets defeated their Rwandan counterparts 5-0 on aggregate to qualify for the third round of the African series of the qualification campaign. The winner between Nigeria and Senegal in this third round will reach the last round of the series, where they will take on the winner of the fixture between Guinea Bissau and Malawi, for a place at the final tournament scheduled for 5-27 September 2026 in Poland.

Read More

Poland 2026: Falconets Begin Preparations for Clash with Senegal

Nigeria’s U20 Women’s National Team, the Falconets, have resumed camping in Abuja ahead of their forthcoming FIFA U20 Women’s World Cup qualifying fixture against their Senegalese counterparts. The team opened camp on Saturday, January 4, 2026, at the Westpoint Hotel, marking the start of an intensive preparation programme.   A total of 17 players are currently in camp, with additional invited players expected to arrive in the coming days to complete the roster. Training activities have commenced in earnest, focusing on team cohesion, tactical organization, and physical conditioning, as the technical crew works to ensure optimal readiness.   Head Coach, Mr. Moses Aduku, confirmed that the team’s preparations are on course, with ongoing assessments of players and structured training sessions aimed at ensuring tactical readiness and optimal performance levels. The technical crew continues to fine-tune training programmes with emphasis on tactical discipline, game intelligence, and overall team organization, as preparations progress toward the qualifier.   Nigeria will host the first leg of the third-round qualifying fixture, which is scheduled for the Lekan Salami Stadium, Ibadan on Saturday, 7th February, with the return leg already determined for Saturday, 14th February in Dakar, Senegal.   This year’s FIFA U20 Women’s World Cup finals will be hosted by Poland.  

Read More

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).

Read More

U20 Women’s W’Cup Qualifiers: Falconets to Depart for Kigali on Thursday

Two-time World Cup silver-medallists Nigeria will kick off their race to next year’s FIFA U20 Women’s World Cup finals when they take on their Rwandan counterparts on Sunday, in a second round, first leg encounter in Kigali. The Falconets are scheduled to depart the country on Thursday for the clash with the Rwandan U20 girls. Germany, which denied Nigeria the trophy and gold medals in 2010 (Germany) and 2014 (Canada), and like Nigeria, had appeared in every edition of the competition since it was launched in 2002, failed to qualify for next year’s finals. The clash with the Rwandan counterparts will take place at the Kigali Pele Stadium, formerly known as Stade Regional de Nyamirambo. 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.

Read More

Colombia 2024: Falconets spank Venezuela, hit Round of 16

Goals by Amina Bello, Chiamaka Okwuchukwu, Flourish Sabastine and substitute Joy Igbokwe against Venezuela in Cali on Saturday took two-time silver medallists Nigeria to the Round of 16 of the ongoing FIFA U20 Women’s World Cup. Bello guided home a cut-back by the irrepressible Okwuchukwu for the first goal against the South Americans in the 16th minute, before Okwuchukwu turned goalscorer in the 28th minute when she met a corner kick with a bullet header to make it 2-0 for Nigeria. Okwuchukwu, who scored Nigeria’s only goal in their 1-3 loss to Germany on Wednesday night, was at it again in added time of the first half, when she assisted Flourish Sabastine with a pull-out that the latter converted to put daylight between both countries. Substitute Joy Igbokwe made it four, four minutes into added time, with the result effectively steering the Falconets to the Round of 16 of the competition. Victory earned the Falconets six points and a plus three goals difference in their group D campaign, with their Round of 16 game to come up in Bogota on Thursday.

Read More