Nigeria’s U-20 women’s national team, the Falconets, will step up preparations for the 2026 FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup with international friendly matches against Poland and the Republic of Korea ahead of the tournament in September.
Head coach Moses Aduku is expected to use the games to assess his players against quality opposition while fine-tuning the team’s tactical organisation, physical condition and overall balance before the World Cup.
The Falconets are currently in camp in Abuja and are scheduled to travel to Poland on August 24, with the tournament running from September 5 to 27.
The proposed meeting with Republic of Korea will provide particularly useful preparation, given the two countries’ recent history at this level. Nigeria defeated Republic of Korea 1–0 at the 2024 U-20 Women’s World Cup in Colombia, with Flourish Sabastine scoring the decisive goal.
Nigeria qualified for the 2026 tournament after overcoming Malawi 3–2 on aggregate in the final round of African qualifying. The result extended the Falconets’ remarkable record of qualifying for every edition of the FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup since the competition began in 2002.
Difficult Group Awaits Nigeria
The Falconets have been drawn in Group F alongside Spain, China PR and New Caledonia.
Nigeria will begin its campaign against Spain on September 7, before facing China PR on September 10 and New Caledonia on September 13.
The opening fixture against Spain will provide an immediate test of Nigeria’s readiness, with the European side bringing considerable experience at youth level.
The Falconets remain one of the most consistent teams in the history of the competition. Nigeria finished as runners-up in 2010 and 2014, while also reaching the semi-finals in 2012. At the 2024 edition, the team progressed from the group stage before losing 2–1 to Japan in the Round of 16.
Aduku’s decision to test the team against Poland and Republic of Korea should therefore provide the technical crew with a final opportunity to assess the squad before the competitive action begins.
The focus will be on building a settled team, improving attacking efficiency and ensuring the players can cope with the intensity of a tournament that will feature 24 teams across four Polish host cities.
With the World Cup less than three weeks away, the final phase of preparation will be crucial to Nigeria’s hopes of making another deep run in the competition.
