By Philemon Amos

The Nigeria’s under-20 women’s national football team, the Falconets, will play against Burundi in the second round of qualifiers for the 2024 FIFA Under-20 Women’s World Cup.

The draw, conducted by the Confederation of African Football (CAF) in Cairo, Egypt, unveiled the exciting matchups that will shape the journey to the global tournament.

The initial stage will feature a round-robin format among the six nations with the lowest rankings, scheduled to take place from September 1 to September 10. Equatorial Guinea will face Libya, Togo will take on Guinea Bissau, and Mauritius will compete against Chad.

The victors from this round will progress to the second round of qualifiers, where Ethiopia will confront the winners of the Equatorial Guinea and Libya encounter, while Senegal will meet Mali. Nigeria, who reached the semi-finals in the previous edition, will take on Burundi, while Ghana awaits the winners of the Togo and Guinea Bissau clash.

The second round matches are slated to occur between October 6 and October 15. The winners will advance to the third round of qualifiers scheduled for November 12 to November 19.

During the third round, the four countries will engage in a round-robin format to determine the two representatives from Africa at the FIFA Under-20 Women’s World Cup.