Nigeria’s Falconets have reached the quarter-finals of the FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup Poland 2026 after a commanding 3-0 victory over England on Thursday
After Nigeria failed to qualify for the FIFA Women’s World Cup Brazil 2027, the Falconets’ impressive run in Poland is providing renewed optimism about the country’s next generation of players and its push towards the 2031 senior women’s tournament.
“We are building a foundation for the future,” declared forward Seimeyeha Janet Akekoromowei after Nigeria’s victory over England. “The next [FIFA Women’s] World Cup, they should be expecting us.”
The Falconets responded strongly after opening their campaign with a 2-0 defeat to Spain, following that setback with a goalless draw against China PR and a remarkable 10-1 victory over debutants New Caledonia.
England were regarded as strong favourites heading into the Round-of-16 clash in Bielsko-Biala, but Nigeria dominated the encounter from start to finish. Tosin Rafiu opened the scoring with a brilliant finish before goalkeeper Christiana Uzoma produced several outstanding saves, including a penalty stop, to keep England at bay.
Akekoromowei and Mary Mamudu then added further goals as Nigeria secured a convincing victory and a place in the last eight.
“The English team is a very good side and I think they underrated us, they never believed that we could play up to this level,” Aduku told FIFA.
England coach Lydia Bedford acknowledged Nigeria’s threat, saying: “Nigeria’s forwards were very effective in being direct and physical and I think that was something that perhaps we struggled to compete with at times.”
After the final whistle, Aduku quickly turned his attention to the quarter-finals, gathering his players for a team huddle and urging them to celebrate briefly before focusing on their next challenge.
“I told the players, this game is gone, we need to celebrate but a short celebration because we have the next game to play so let’s focus on the next [one],” he said.
Akekoromowei, who was named Visa Player of the Match, said the team’s ambition extends beyond simply reaching the quarter-finals.
“The reason why we are here is to take the Cup home. We are going to give our all. Our coach pushes us and we push ourselves on and off the pitch. We stay focused and determined,” she said.
Uzoma, who made a number of important saves against England, including pushing Rachel Maltby’s penalty onto the crossbar, added: “We hope to get to the final, our hope is to win the World Cup.”
“Our performance was good and we told ourselves that we are not going to lose this game and we don’t want to go home. We came with determination.”
For Aduku, the tournament is also an opportunity to develop players capable of progressing to the senior national team.
“I think the girls are doing well. We need to do more. There is going to be a transition to the senior national team from this junior side. So they really need to apply themselves, this is just the platform,” he said.
Nigeria have also demonstrated considerable attacking depth in Poland. Winner Onajite David and Ramotalahi Kareem have scored three goals each, while Akekoromowei, Rafiu and Rebecca Adegbemile have two apiece.
