Falconets Set for FIFA U20 Women’s World Cup Draw in Poland

Nigeria’s U20 women’s national team, the Falconets, will be represented by Head Coach Moses Aduku and Team Administrator Kelechi Omeke at Friday’s official draw ceremony for the 12th edition of the FIFA U20 Women’s World Cup.

The ceremony is scheduled to take place at the EC1 Cultural Centre in the Polish city of Łódź.

Nigeria secured qualification for the 24-team tournament alongside Benin Republic, Ghana and Tanzania, who will represent Africa at the competition scheduled to run from September 5 to 27 across the Polish cities of Łódź, Katowice, Sosnowiec and Bielsko-Biała.

The qualified nations have been placed into four pots of six teams each ahead of the draw, which will determine the six groups for the tournament.

This year’s edition promises added excitement with six debutants — hosts Poland, Portugal, New Caledonia, Ecuador, Tanzania and Benin Republic — all set to make their first appearances on the global stage.

Meanwhile, Germany, finalists against Nigeria in both the 2010 and 2014 editions, will miss the competition for the first time.

Europe will be represented by Poland, France, Italy, England, Portugal and Spain. Asia’s representatives are China, South Korea, Japan and North Korea.

From North and Central America, Mexico, United States and Costa Rica qualified, while Brazil, Ecuador, Argentina and Colombia will represent South America. Oceania’s slots will be occupied by New Zealand and New Caledonia.

Nigeria, one of the tournament’s ever-present teams, have been placed in Pot 2 alongside the United States, Canada, Colombia, Mexico and New Zealand. Ghana, making their eighth appearance, are in Pot 3 with South Korea, England, Argentina, China and Italy.

Draw Pots

Pot 1: Poland, Japan, Spain, North Korea, Brazil, France
Pot 2: USA, Nigeria, Colombia, Mexico, Canada, New Zealand
Pot 3: South Korea, England, Ghana, Argentina, China, Italy
Pot 4: Portugal, Ecuador, Costa Rica, Benin Republic, Tanzania, New Caledonia

Samuel Ahmadu

Samuel Ahmadu is a distinguished multimedia journalist and women's football expert with over 15 years of experience in the industry. On the back of domestic engagement since 2008, he began his international career journey 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.

See Full Bio