Nigeria’s female youth national team, Falconets’ assistant coach, Mansur Abdullahi has revealed that the presence of many experienced players and strong desire to get a monetary largesse from President Bola Ahmed Tinubu are two factors propelling the squad towards next year’s FIFA U20 Women’s World Cup.
Sports247 reports that these factors were disclosed by Abdullahi ahead of the Falconets’ first leg clash away to Rwanda in the second stage of their qualification race to Poland 2026, a match the eloquent gaffer believes the Nigerian side will win.
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He pointed out that Nigeria’s strong pedigree, which includes appearances in two finals of the Female Youth Mundial (2010 and 2014) as well as fourth place in 2012, puts the Falconets several steps ahead of Rwanda, hence his verdict that Coach Moses Aduku’s side will win Sunday’s clash away in Kigali.
Abdullahi expatiated, “Rwanda doesn’t have any record on Nigeria. So, if they beat Nigeria, that would be a big story. On the other hand, if Nigeria beats Rwanda, that’s nothing to write home about.”
However, dedpite his affirmation of Nigeria’s supremacy over Rwanda at this level of the round leather game, the highly articulate tactician disclosed that they still respect their hosts and firmly assured that the Falconets will not take them for granted.
He interjected, “For sure, they are a good team. They have some players who are professionals, and they eliminated Zimbabwe. So, that means they are equal to the task.”
Abdullahi then pinpointed three major factors that should propel the Falconets towards victory on Sunday and in all their subsequent matches up to the next Youth Female Mundial, scheduled for September 2026 in Poland.
“We have been in camp for a while, and we just have to appreciate the Nigerian Football Federation for ensuring we were there for almost six weeks. It has been long since we last had a team being in camp for up to six weeks.
“We also have a lot of players who previously featured in the under-17 team, while some also played at the last Under-20 World Cup in Colombia. So, when you talk about experienced players, we have some in this team.
“Coupled with the recent dollar rain from the president of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, I am sure these girls will shine,” Abdullahi theorised enthusiastically.
He concluded with a bold verdict that the Falconets will successfully fly all the way through the qualifiers and sail to glory at the FIFA U20 Women’s World Cup on September 27, 2026, because they want their own part of President Tinubu’s reward policy.
“Every player and every sports person will like to do something to show that he or she deserves such benefits. In the same way, these girls are not taking that kind of thing for granted. They will do everything to ensure that they utilise it,” Abdullahi asserted.
