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Nigeria’s Under-20 women’s national team, the Falconets, booked their place at the 2026 Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) U-20 Women’s World Cup in Poland after edging past Malawi’s Young Scorchers on aggregate, despite a narrow defeat in their second-leg qualifier.
The News Agency of Nigeria reports that the Nigerian side lost 2-1 in the return leg played on Saturday at the Bingu National Stadium in Lilongwe, but still advanced 3-2 on aggregate following their commanding first-leg win in Nigeria.
Malawi made a fast start, taking the lead as early as the ninth minute when a player, Faith Chimzimu, tried to raise hopes of a comeback for the hosts.
Nigeria, however, nearly responded through Kindness Ifeanyi, who created space on the right and delivered a cross into the box. Favour Nkwocha connected powerfully with the delivery, but her effort struck the woodwork, allowing Malawi to maintain their slim advantage into halftime.
On resumption of the second half, Chimzimu struck again in the 56th minute to level the aggregate score and briefly tilt momentum in Malawi’s favour. But the Falconets reacted quickly, with substitute Precious Oscar restoring their aggregate lead in the 62nd minute with a decisive finish that ultimately settled the tie.
Despite the loss on the day, Nigeria showed resilience under pressure away from home, managing the game well enough to protect their first-leg advantage and secure qualification at the global stage.
The result extends Nigeria’s strong tradition in women’s youth football, with the Falconets continuing to rank among Africa’s most consistent performers at the U-20 World Cup level.
They had earlier taken a major step toward qualification with a 2-0 victory in the first leg played in Ikenne, Ogun State on May 2. Their path to this stage also included a 5-0 aggregate win over Rwanda and a 3-1 aggregate success against Senegal in the earlier rounds.
The 2026 FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup is scheduled to take place in Poland from September 5 to September 26.
