Nigeria’s Falconets travel to Lilongwe on Saturday, holding a two-goal advantage over Malawi in their bid to secure qualification for the 2026 FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup in Poland, as the two-time finalists look to extend a record of appearing at every edition of the tournament since its founding in 2002.
The Falconets won the first leg one-nil to two-nil in Ikenne-Remo last Saturday, with an own goal from Maureen Kenneth and a strike from Kindness Ifeanyi giving Nigeria a comfortable cushion heading into the return fixture at the Bingu National Stadium. Kick-off is set for 3pm Malawi time, which is 2pm in Nigeria.
Head coach Moses Aduku said his squad arrived in Malawi on Wednesday and are fully prepared.
“We are here to play and to win. The players understand the importance of this match, and we are fully prepared mentally, tactically, and physically for the challenge ahead,” he said at the pre-match press conference on Friday.
Malawi coach Maggie Chombo acknowledged the scale of the task but insisted her side could overturn the deficit in front of their home supporters.
“We have learnt, and we will go back and work on those areas. They have managed to score on their pitch, but we are going to do so as well in front of our supporters. Everything is possible,” she said.
Nigeria’s consistency at this tournament is unmatched on the continent. The Falconets have featured at every edition since Canada 2002. They have reached the final twice and the semi-finals once.
Aduku’s side progressed to this final round after sweeping past Rwanda and Senegal, with Rwanda losing 5-0 on aggregate and Senegal falling 3-1 on aggregate.
Elsewhere on Saturday, Ghana face a difficult assignment away to Uganda in Kampala, having managed only a 2-1 win at home in the first leg. Cameroon hold a 3-1 advantage as they travel to face Tanzania in Dar es Salaam, while Benin Republic host Ivory Coast with the first leg in Abidjan having ended 1-1.
