Nigeria’s Flying Eagles will aim to secure an early place in the semi-finals of the 2026 WAFU B U20 Championship when they face Togo’s Junior Sparrow Hawks in Yamoussoukro on Thursday, Boldsports report.
The defending champions go into their second Group B match at the top of the standings following an impressive 4-2 victory over Ghana in their opening fixture on Monday.
Burkina Faso also began the tournament with a win, defeating Togo 3-1, but Nigeria lead the group on goals scored ahead of the Young Stallions.
Victory against Togo would take the Flying Eagles to six points and guarantee their passage to the last four before their final group match against Burkina Faso on Sunday.
For Togo, the encounter represents an opportunity to revive their campaign after the opening defeat. Another loss would leave the Junior Sparrow Hawks on the brink of elimination.
Nigeria made a strong start to their title defence against Ghana, with Muiz Adeleke scoring twice from the penalty spot. Olayemi Ayinla and Lucky Oraro also found the net as the Flying Eagles overcame their long-standing West African rivals.
Ghana’s Mohammed Zaidan scored after being set up by captain Kelvin Nkrumah, who later converted a penalty for the Black Satellites, but the goals were not enough to prevent Nigeria from claiming all three points.
The result strengthened Nigeria’s bid to retain the regional title they won in Lomé in 2024, when they defeated Ghana 2-1 in the final. The Flying Eagles had also won the previous edition in Niamey, making them back-to-back champions of the competition.
Head coach Abdu Maikaba will nevertheless be wary of complacency as his side pursue the tournament’s bigger objective of qualifying for the 2027 U20 Africa Cup of Nations in Ghana.
The WAFU B Championship serves as the qualification route for teams from the zone, with places at the continental tournament at stake.
Nigeria are seven-time African U20 champions and two-time FIFA U20 World Cup runners-up, but must first navigate a competitive group containing Ghana, Burkina Faso and Togo.
The Flying Eagles’ performance against Ghana demonstrated their attacking quality, but Maikaba will expect greater defensive control after his team conceded twice despite building a commanding advantage.
A win on Thursday would ease the pressure ahead of the potentially decisive meeting with Burkina Faso and allow Nigeria to approach their final group fixture with qualification already secured.
Togo, meanwhile, must find a way to contain a Nigerian attack that scored four times in its opening match while also improving defensively after conceding three against Burkina Faso.
The encounter is therefore expected to pit Nigeria’s confidence and attacking momentum against a Togolese side fighting to remain in contention.
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