Nigeria’s Falconets have opened their 2026 FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup qualifying campaign with a hard-fought 1-0 win against Rwanda in the first leg of their second-round tie at the Kigali Pelé Stadium on Sunday, Bold Sports reports.
The breakthrough for the team came in the 70th minute when Alaba Olabiyi rose highest to head home from a corner, sealing the win for Moses Aduku’s side. The result puts Nigeria in a strong position ahead of the return fixture at the Lekan Salami Stadium in Ibadan on Saturday, September 27.
Having qualified for every edition of the tournament since its inception, the Falconets will be aiming to complete the job in front of their home supporters and progress to the final round of qualifiers. Should they advance, Nigeria will face either Senegal or Algeria for a place at the 2026 showpiece in Poland.
The upcoming World Cup will be the 12th edition of the tournament, scheduled for September 5–27, 2026, with 24 teams from across six confederations vying for the trophy. Host nation Poland will make their debut appearance at the competition.
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Nigeria boast a proud history at the U-20 level, finishing as runners-up in the World Cup twice — in 2010 and 2014, both times falling to Germany in the final — and claiming fourth place in 2012. In recent years, however, the Falconets have struggled to progress beyond the quarterfinals, a record they will be determined to improve on should they secure qualification.
With a slender advantage to protect and a home crowd behind them in Ibadan, the Falconets remain firmly on course to extend their perfect record of World Cup appearances and continue their pursuit of a first-ever global crown.
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