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Falconets Begin Abuja Camp Ahead of 2026 FIFA U20 Women’s World Cup in Poland

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10 hours ago

9:29 pm

Falconets Begin Abuja Camp Ahead of 2026 FIFA U20 Women’s World Cup in Poland

Nigeria’s U20 Women’s National Team, the Falconets, have opened their training camp in Abuja as preparations intensify for the 2026 FIFA U20 Women’s World Cup in Poland, scheduled to take place from September 5 to 27.

A total of 28 players have been invited for the camping exercise, with 16 already reporting to camp, while the remaining invitees are expected to arrive in the coming days.

Head coach Moses Aduku and his technical crew have wasted no time in putting the squad through rigorous training sessions as they begin fine-tuning the team for the global tournament.

The Falconets secured their place at the World Cup after an outstanding qualifying campaign. They cruised past Rwanda with a 5-0 aggregate victory in the second round, defeated Senegal 3-2 on aggregate in the penultimate round, and sealed qualification with 8-5 aggregate triumph over Malawi in the final round.

Nigeria remains the only African nation to have qualified for every edition of the FIFA U20 Women’s World Cup since the competition was introduced in 2002, underlining the country’s dominance at youth level on the continent.

The Falconets also boast an impressive record at the tournament, having finished runners-up in 2010 and 2014, while reaching the semi-finals in 2012. At the 2024 edition in Colombia, Nigeria opened with a 1-0 win over Korea Republic before exiting in the Round of 16 following a defeat to Japan.

For the 2026 tournament, the Falconets have been drawn in Group F alongside Spain, China PR and Paraguay. With preparations now underway, the African giant will be hoping to build on their proud history and challenge for a maiden FIFA U20 Women’s World Cup title.

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.

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