Former Flamingos head coach Bankole Olowookere remains confident that Nigeria’s Falconets can recover from their opening defeat to Spain and advance to the knockout stage of the 2026 FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup in Poland.
Nigeria began their Group F campaign with a 2–0 loss to former champions Spain, with Marisa García and Alba Cerrato scoring for the European side at the Stadion Sosnowiec.
Despite the setback, Olowookere believes the Falconets must quickly put the result behind them and concentrate fully on their remaining group matches.
Speaking on the team’s situation, the former Nigeria U-17 coach acknowledged that a positive result against Spain would have provided a major boost to the players’ confidence, but insisted that the defeat has not ended Nigeria’s campaign.
He urged the players and technical crew to focus on the psychological side of the recovery while making the necessary corrections ahead of their crucial encounter with China.
China go into the fixture with confidence after opening their campaign with a commanding 5–0 victory over New Caledonia, leaving them top of Group F on goal difference ahead of Spain.
For Olowookere, the immediate priority should therefore be to restore the players’ confidence and ensure that all efforts are directed towards winning the next game.
The Falconets have little room for another disappointing performance, with another defeat against China likely to severely damage their hopes of reaching the knockout stage.
Coach Moses Aduku has also acknowledged the importance of the fixture, saying his players have put the Spain defeat behind them and are ready to respond against China.
Nigeria’s pedigree at the competition provides further motivation. The Falconets have reached the FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup final twice, finishing runners-up in 2010 and 2014, and remain one of Africa’s most consistent teams at the tournament.
The two sides have also met twice previously at the World Cup. China defeated Nigeria 3–0 in 2006, while the teams played out a 1–1 draw in 2018, a result that helped the Falconets progress to the quarter-finals.
With New Caledonia still to come in their final group match, a victory over China would put Nigeria back in contention for qualification.
Olowookere’s message is therefore one of belief and urgency: the Falconets must learn from their opening setback, regain their confidence and produce the response required when they face China.
The defeat to Spain has put Nigeria under pressure, but Olowookere believes the Falconets still have enough quality to turn their World Cup campaign around.
