Nigeria women’s national under-20 football team moved closer to qualifying for the 2026 FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup after defeating Malawi women’s national under-20 football team 2-0 in the first leg of their qualifier on Saturday in Ikenne.
The Nigerian side struggled to break down Malawi in the opening half as both teams went into the break without a goal.
Just moments after the restart, the Falconets took the lead when a dangerous cross into the penalty area caused confusion in Malawi’s defence, forcing Kenneth Maureen to score an own goal.
Nigeria continued to push forward and doubled their advantage 10 minutes later through Ifeanyi Kindness. The forward calmly rounded the goalkeeper before placing the ball into the empty net.
Coach Moses Aduku and his players will now head into the second leg with confidence as they aim to complete qualification for the tournament.
Nigeria are chasing one of Africa’s four tickets for the competition and remain one of the most successful teams in the history of the tournament.
The Falconets have qualified for every edition of the FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup and finished as runners-up twice, losing to Germany women’s national under-20 football team in the finals of 2010 and 2014.
The 2026 FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup will take place in Poland from September 5 to September 27, 2026.
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