Nigeria’s U-20 women’s national team, the Falconets, have begun their final preparations for the 2026 FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup, with 16 of the 28 invited players already in camp in Abuja ahead of the tournament in Poland.
Head coach Moses Aduku has wasted no time in getting the squad to work, as intensive training sessions commenced immediately following the players’ arrival.
The remaining invited players are expected to join camp in the coming days as preparations gather momentum.
The FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup will take place in Poland from September 5 to 27, with Nigeria looking to build on its proud history in the competition.
The Falconets qualified for the global tournament after an impressive qualifying campaign.
They thrashed Rwanda 5-0 on aggregate in the second round, edged Senegal 3-2 over two legs in the penultimate round and secured their World Cup ticket with another 3-2 aggregate victory against Malawi in the final qualifying round.
Nigeria remains the only African nation to have qualified for every edition of the FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup since the tournament was introduced in 2002.
The Falconets are also among the competition’s most successful teams, having finished runners-up in 2010 and 2014, while reaching the semi-finals in 2012.
At the 2024 edition in Colombia, the team defeated Korea Republic 1-0 in the group stage before exiting in the Round of 16 after a defeat to Japan.
For the 2026 tournament, Nigeria has been drawn in Group F alongside Spain, China PR, and Paraguay.
With preparations now underway in Abuja, the Falconets will be aiming to arrive in Poland fully prepared as they pursue a historic first FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup title.
