Nigeria’s U-15 boys will aim to bounce back on Tuesday when they take on Benin Republic at the CAF Schools Football Championship in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso, after suffering a tough 4–1 defeat to Côte d’Ivoire in their opening Group B match.
The young Nigerian side, competing solely in the boys’ category of the four-day regional qualifiers, know that only a victory will keep their hopes of reaching the semifinals alive. The crucial encounter is scheduled for 9:00 a.m. at the Stade du 4 Août in Ouagadougou.
This year’s WAFU-B zonal qualifiers feature school teams from Burkina Faso, Ghana, Benin Republic, Niger Republic, Côte d’Ivoire, and Nigeria. Group-stage action continues through midweek, with semifinal matches set for Wednesday.
The third-place playoff and the final will be played on Thursday, marking the close of the championship as teams battle for a spot at the continental finals.
Nigeria will now look to recover quickly, correct their opening-day mistakes, and revive their campaign against a determined Benin Republic side.
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.
