By Teddy Nwanunobi
Nigeria’s U-17 woes deepened on Saturday, with the Golden Eaglets’ elimination at the ongoing 2026 WAFU-B U-17 Championship in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso, and the Flamingos’ opening loss at their 2026 FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup Group B opener to Poland in Rabat, Morocco.
Despite drawing 1-1 against Côte d’Ivoire in their Group B encounter, the five-time world champions will now miss the 2027 U-17 Africa Cup of Nations and the 2027 FIFA U-17 World Cup, marking their fourth straight absence from the global showpiece.
Nigeria conceded the first goal in the 17th minute by Alex Bamba for the Ivorians to take the lead into the break, but Colombus Igboenyobe drew level in the 85th minute.
The result ensured the Eboboritse Uwejamomere’s side finished bottom of the group with one point from two matches, Côte d’Ivoire finished second with two points, while Niger Republic won the group with four points.
The former African champions had lost 1-2 to Niger Republic in their opening match.
Head coach Uwejamomere blamed his side’s inability to create clear-cut scoring opportunities.
Speaking after the draw, Uwejamomere identified a lack of precision in the final third as a major factor behind his team’s failure to progress in the competition.
According to the coach, although Nigeria enjoyed periods of possession and managed to advance into dangerous attacking positions, the team lacked the decisive pass, final touch and composure required to convert those opportunities into goals.
“The final ball, the final action, the final touch before the finish, that’s what we were lacking. Even when we were attacking, we saw a lot of the ball and got it into the final third, but we didn’t actually create clear-cut chances to score.
“The equaliser we scored was a good goal, but it was a half-chance. It wasn’t even a clear chance. The striker managed to find the tight angle to score,” Uwejamomere said.
In a related development, Nigeria’s Flamingos lost 2-1 to Poland in their 2026 FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup Group B opener, after Poland’s Wiktoria Skrzypczak scored first in the 33rd minute. Falconets goalkeeper, Jane Ijirigho, saved Zofia Cendrowska’s attempt at goal before Ohunene Sunday fouled a Polish striker trying to reach the rebound.
The referee blew the whistle for a penalty, which Skrzypczak converted by placing the ball in the bottom-right corner.
Poland’s Natalia Skrok made it two in the second half when Blanka Zajac crossed into the Nigerian penalty area in the 65th minute.
The Falconets, however, failed to clear their line, providing Skrok the opportunity to add to the scoreline.
Kanyinsola Yusuf helped Nigeria reduce the deficit in the 79th minute, following a free-kick into the Polish penalty area. The goal was, however, officially credited to Oluebube Umejiaku, who was adjudged to have touched the ball before it went in.
Korea DPR tops the group with three points, the same as second-placed Poland but separated by goal difference, while Nigeria and Puerto Rico each have no points.
The Flamingos will play their second group game against Puerto Rico tomorrow (Tuesday) before taking on Korea DPR in their final group-stage fixture on Friday.
The top two teams in each of the six groups will automatically qualify for the round of 16, along with the four best third-placed teams.