Nigeria to set new World Cup record with Brazil, USA in 12 days

Nigeria’s Falconets are one of three nations set to reach a new milestone at the 2026 FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup in Poland, Soccernet.ng.

According to FIFA, only the Falconets, alongside Brazil and the United States of America have played at all 11 previous tournaments. These includes the early editions that were staged as the FIFA U-19 Women’s World Championship. Nigeria have twice reached the final, finishing runners-up in 2010 and 2014, while they reached the semi-finals in 2012.

The Falconets are set to leave Abuja on Monday as they begin the final stage of preparations for the 2026 FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup in Poland.

Head coach Moses Aduku’s team has spent weeks in camp in Abuja. The players have worked on fitness, tactics and team organisation ahead of a tournament that starts on 5 September and ends on 27 September. Poland will host the 12th edition of the competition across four cities, including Bielsko-Biała, Katowice, Łódź and Sosnowiec.

The Falconets will also use their time in Poland to play two international friendly matches. They are scheduled to face hosts Poland and Korea Republic before the World Cup begins. The games will give Aduku a chance to assess his squad against strong opposition and make final changes to his plans.

Nigeria: A difficult Group F awaits

Nigeria qualified for the tournament after a demanding African qualifying campaign. The Falconets defeated Rwanda 5-0 on aggregate, beat Senegal 3-2 on aggregate and then secured their World Cup place by overcoming Malawi 3-2 on aggregate. In the second leg against Malawi in Lilongwe on 9 May, Nigeria lost 2-1 but advanced because of their 2-0 first-leg victory in Ikenne. The result extended Nigeria’s record of appearing at every edition of the competition.

Nigeria were placed in Group F with Spain, China PR and New Caledonia after the draw in Łódź in May. Spain will provide the first major test. They are one of the leading teams in women's youth football and won the 2026 UEFA Women's Under-19 Championship before heading to Poland.

The Falconets will face Spain at Arena Sosnowiec on Monday, 7 September, with the match scheduled for 18:00. Three days later, Nigeria will play China PR at the same venue. Their final group game is against New Caledonia at Stadion Miejski ŁKS in Łódź on 13 September.

The Korea Republic friendly also carries extra interest. Nigeria beat Korea Republic 1-0 at the 2024 U-20 Women's World Cup in Colombia, with Flourish Sabastine scoring the winning goal. The Falconets then reached the round of 16 before Japan ended their campaign.