The Confederation of African Football (CAF) has approved a request by the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) to change the venue for the 2026 FIFA U20 Women’s World Cup third-round first-leg qualifying match between Nigeria and Senegal.
The encounter, originally scheduled to take place at the Lekan Salami Stadium, Ibadan, on Saturday, 7 February 2026, will now be played at the MKO Abiola Sports Complex in Abeokuta, Ogun State.
NFF’s Director of Competitions, Ruth David, confirmed the development, explaining that the decision was taken due to the deteriorating condition of the pitch at the Ibadan venue. The Lekan Salami Stadium had earlier hosted the Falconets’ second-round, second-leg clash against Rwanda U20 in September 2025.
Following the venue change, the Nigerian U20 women’s team, who had been camping and training in Ibadan, are expected to relocate to Abeokuta in the coming days to familiarize themselves with the turf at the MKO Abiola Sports Complex.
Nigeria, two-time FIFA U20 Women’s World Cup silver medalists, booked their place in the third round after recording a dominant 5–0 aggregate victory over Rwanda.
The winner of the Nigeria–Senegal tie will progress to the final round of the African qualifiers, where they will face the winner of the Guinea-Bissau versus Malawi fixture. The final round will determine Africa’s representatives at the 2026 FIFA U20 Women’s World Cup, scheduled to be held in Poland from 5 to 27 September 2026.
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.
