Nigeria’s U-20 Women’s national tehave secured qualification for the 2026 FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup in Poland despite suffering a 2-1 defeat to Malawi in the second leg of their qualifying tie.
Holding a 2-0 advantage from the first leg, the Falconets progressed 3-2 on aggregate after a tense encounter against a determined Malawi side.
Malawi made a bright start and opened the scoring in the ninth minute through Faith Chimzimu, who headed home from a well-delivered free-kick by Olivia Phikani to give the hosts early hope.
The home side continued to push forward and doubled their lead in the 56th minute, with Chimzimu grabbing her second goal of the match to level the aggregate score at 2-2.
However, Nigeria responded quickly and found the crucial away goal six minutes later. Oscar Precious scored in the 62nd minute to reduce the deficit to 2-1 on the day and restore Nigeria’s aggregate lead.
Despite late pressure from Malawi, the Falconets held on to book their place at the 2026 FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup scheduled to take place in Poland.
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.
