Nigeria’s Golden Eaglets have suffered a disappointing start to their 2026 WAFU-B U-17 Africa Cup of Nations qualifying campaign after falling 2-1 to Niger in their opening encounter in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso.
Sports247 reports that goals from Abdoul Razaq Zada and Abdoul Rakilou handed Niger all three points, while Mubarak Fasiu’s stoppage-time effort proved insufficient to rescue a result for the five-time FIFA U-17 World Cup champions.
The defeat leaves Nigeria under immediate pressure ahead of their next fixture against Côte d’Ivoire, with qualification hopes now hanging in the balance. Niger made their intentions clear from the opening stages, taking the lead in the 19th minute through Abdoul Razaq Zada.
The early setback forced Nigeria into a difficult position as they attempted to recover and find a route back into the contest. Despite their efforts, the Golden Eaglets were unable to restore parity before Niger struck again in the closing stages.
Abdoul Rakilou doubled Niger’s advantage in the 86th minute, putting the West African neighbours firmly in control and leaving Nigeria facing an uphill battle.
However, the Golden Eaglets refused to surrender completely, with Mubarak Fasiu pulling a goal back in the fifth minute of added time. The late strike reduced the deficit to 2-1 but came too late to prevent Nigeria from suffering an opening-match defeat.
Attention now shifts to Nigeria’s next fixture against Côte d’Ivoire, which has become a decisive encounter in their qualification campaign.
The Golden Eaglets must secure all three points to keep their hopes of progressing alive, while the Ivorians need only a draw to advance to the next round.
That situation places considerable pressure on Nigeria, who can no longer afford another disappointing result. A victory would revive their qualification ambitions, but anything short of three points could bring their campaign to a premature conclusion.
The WAFU-B qualifying tournament represents an important stage in the pathway towards the U-17 Africa Cup of Nations, which also serves as a route to the FIFA U-17 World Cup.
For a country with Nigeria’s distinguished history in youth football, the possibility of missing another major international tournament would represent a significant disappointment.
The Golden Eaglets must now demonstrate greater attacking efficiency, defensive concentration and determination against Côte d’Ivoire.
With their qualification hopes on the line, Nigeria face a straightforward challenge: defeat Côte d’Ivoire or risk seeing their dreams of returning to the continental and global youth football stages disappear.
