Flying Eagles head coach Abdu Maikaba has acknowledged the quality of Burkina Faso after Nigeria suffered a 4-1 defeat to the Young Stallions in the final of the 2026 WAFU B U-20 Championship in Côte d’Ivoire.
The result ended Nigeria’s hopes of retaining the regional title, having won the previous two editions of the competition. Nigeria entered the tournament as defending champions after defeating Ghana in the 2024 final.
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Maikaba said the decisive moment came during a disastrous opening period in which Nigeria conceded three goals, leaving the Flying Eagles with a mountain to climb for the remainder of the contest.
“We lost the game in the first 10 minutes. We made some defensive and tactical mistakes and conceded three goals, and that affected the mentality of the team,” Maikaba said.
The coach admitted that the early setback gave Burkina Faso considerable confidence and made it increasingly difficult for Nigeria to mount a comeback.
“When you concede three goals so early, it becomes difficult. They gained confidence from that and we struggled to get back into the game. Sometimes football goes that way, and it simply wasn’t our day,” he added.
Despite the disappointing final, Maikaba praised Burkina Faso for their consistency throughout the tournament and acknowledged that the Young Stallions deserved their victory.
“Burkina Faso were the best team we faced in the tournament. They were consistent and showed their quality throughout the competition, so we have to give them credit,” he said.
The Flying Eagles’ defeat brought their title defence to an end, but the tournament remains an important part of Nigeria’s qualification pathway for the 2027 U-20 Africa Cup of Nations. Nigeria had entered the competition with the objective of securing one of the region’s qualification places.
Maikaba will now be expected to assess the lessons from the campaign as Nigeria continues its preparations for the next stage of its U-20 development programme.
