Nigeria’s U-20 women’s national team, the Falconets, will resume camping in April as preparations intensify for their decisive final-round qualifier against Malawi for the FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup.
The Falconets reached the final qualifying round after edging Senegal 3–1 on aggregate, while Malawi progressed by overcoming Guinea-Bissau, setting up a high-stakes two-legged encounter with a World Cup ticket on the line.
A top official of the Nigeria Football Federation confirmed that the team’s training camp will reopen in the first week of April to ensure adequate preparation.
“The Falconets should resume camping in the first week of April as the first leg is scheduled for the first week of May,” the official told BSN Sports.
Coached by Moses Aduku, Nigeria will host the first leg at a yet-to-be-announced venue between May 1 and 3, 2026, before travelling to Blantyre for the return leg scheduled for May 8 to 10, 2026.
The aggregate winner will qualify for the global tournament, with both Nigeria and Malawi aiming to secure one of the coveted spots at the finals.
With camping set to begin weeks before kickoff, the Falconets will be banking on early preparation and home advantage as they look to extend Nigeria’s strong tradition in youth women’s football on the continental stage.
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.
