By Dayo Awoniyi
Nigeria’s U20 women’s national team, the Falconets, will kick off their 2026 FIFA U20 Women’s World Cup qualifying campaign against Rwanda in the second round of the African qualifiers.
Rwanda booked their place in the second round after edging Zimbabwe 2-1 on aggregate.
The Rwandan side secured a 2-1 win in the first leg in Kigali and held Zimbabwe to a goalless draw in the return fixture, also played in Kigali.
The Falconets, who were granted a first-round bye due to their strong continental pedigree, now begin their journey toward another World Cup appearance with a two-legged encounter against the East African nation.
The first leg is scheduled to take place in Kigali in September, with the return fixture to be played in Nigeria.
Nigeria, a dominant force in African youth women’s football, will be aiming to continue their impressive qualifying record and secure a spot in the global tournament.
Samuel Ahmadu is a distinguished multimedia journalist and women's football expert with over 15 years of experience in the industry. He began his career at Goal.com in February 2014, where he served as an African women's football correspondent for nearly eight years. During his tenure at Goal.com, Samuel covered major events such as three Women's Africa Cup of Nations (2016, 2018, 2022) and the 2015 FIFA Women's World Cup in Canada plus 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia. His work at Goal.com earned him widespread acclaim, particularly for his in-depth profiles of African football stars, notably Asisat Oshoala, whose rise he documented from her early years to her breakthrough at the FIFA U20 Women's World Cup in 2014. Prior to his role at Goal.com, Samuel freelanced for various print and broadcast media outlets in Nigeria, including Graphics Newspaper, Radio Nigeria, Grace FM, and Savid Newspaper. His extensive experience and expertise led to his appointment to the Nigeria Football Federation's Standing Committee on Women's Football Development from 2016 to 2018. Since February 2018, Samuel has been the Social Media Manager for Nigeria's women's national teams.In 2019, Samuel joined the Confederation of African Football (CAF) as a women's football content contributor and was promoted to Women's Football Editor in 2021. His contributions to women's football continued as he worked as a Media Consultant for Content Creation and Editorials at the 2022 CAF Women's Champions League. Currently, Samuel also serves as the spokesman for the Nigeria Women Football League, further solidifying his influence and dedication to the growth of women's football in Africa.
