‎By Teddy Nwanunobi

‎Nigeria’s Falconets will commence their Group F campaign of the 2026 FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup in Poland against reigning champions, Spain, today (Monday, September 7).

‎The tournament has already kicked off on Saturday, with matches from Group A and Group B, where the hosts, Poland, and Brazil are leading their respective groups.

‎In Group A, Poland defeated Argentina 3-0, while Mexico played out a 2-2 draw with one of Africa’s representatives, Benin Republic. In Group B, other African representatives, Tanzania, fell 1-4 to Brazil, while Canada and England settled for a 1-1 draw.

‎After their opening game against Spain, Nigeria will clash against China on 10 September, and New Caledonia on September 13.

‎Having reached the final twice, losing to Germany in both 2010 and 2014, Nigeria will be hoping to take a step further by challenging for the elusive title.

‎Spain has made six appearances in the tournament (2004, 2016, 2018, 2022, 2024, and 2026 in Poland). Their U-20 team are gradually becoming a force to reckon with at the FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup, after their impressive displays at the age-grade competition.

‎Since their first appearance at the competition in 2004, where they finished bottom of Group C in a group consisting of the USA, Russia, and South Korea, the Spanish side have gone on to feature in five other competitions with exciting performances.

‎Under the tutelage of coach David Aznar, the Spanish team have been transformed technically and tactically, and are always keeping possession of the ball.

‎Their best finish is when they made history on August 30, 2022 by defeating Japan 3–1 to win the U-20 Women’s World Cup, with Salma Paralluelo’s brace powering the Europeans to the title.

‎This victory marked Spain’s first-ever title in the tournament, serving as revenge for their 3–1 loss to Japan in the 2018 final.

‎Spain took a commanding advantage inside the first 27 minutes through goals from Inma Gabarro, her eighth goal of the tournament, and Paralluelo. The Japanese rallied after the break with a strike from Suzu Amano but could not make further inroads.

‎Spain’s biggest win at the FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup is a 5–0 victory against tournament hosts Costa Rica on August 13, 2022. Goals from Sonia Majarín (26′), Ariadna Mingueza (33′), Inma Gabarro (62′ pen), Ane Elexpuru (74′), and Salma Paralluelo (90+4′) were enough to give Spain a comfortable victory.

‎This dominant performance helped propel Spain through the group stage on their way to winning their first-ever FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup title.

‎Spain and Nigeria have faced each other twice at the FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup, with each team winning one match.

‎It would be recalled that in the 2016 edition, Nigeria defeated Spain 2-1 on November 19, during the tournament in Papua New Guinea. However, during the 2018 edition, Spain beat Nigeria 2-1 on August 16, 2018, in France, knocking the Falconets out, and advancing to their first-ever semi-final.

‎Spain have played 22 matches at the FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup, winning 13, drawing three, and losing six at the tournament so far. The statistics show that Spain have made massive improvements at the age-grade competition, and will be seeking to win their second title in Poland.

‎China PR has made seven appearances (2004, 2006, 2008, 2012, 2014, 2016, 2018, and 2026 in Poland). They have appeared in seven editions of the FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup (historically played as the FIFA U-19 Women’s World Championship prior to 2006), with their upcoming appearance at the Poland 2026 tournament marking their eighth overall qualification.

‎The team has quickly emerged as one of Asia’s strongest nations, qualifying for every other edition of the tournament. They qualified for the FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup in Poland following a strong run at the AFC U-20 Women’s Asian Cup. The team secured their spot by finishing in the top four at the AFC U-20 Women’s Asian Cup.

‎Their best finish is the runners-up in 2004 and 2006, where they reached the final of the FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup twice in their history.

‎Recall that in their first appearance in 2004, China finished second in their group and pulled off a major 2–0 semi-final win against Brazil before losing 2–0 to Germany in the final. In the 2006 edition, China reached consecutive title matches, where they finished as runners-up after falling 5–0 to North Korea in the final.

‎Their biggest win at the FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup is a 4–0 victory against Russia during the quarter-finals of the 2006 tournament in Russia. Goals from Zi (8′), Ma Xiaoxu (19′), Zhang (40′) and You (60′) gave China a brilliant victory over the hosts. However, China went on to finish as runners-up in the tournament, losing the final to North Korea.

‎China and Nigeria have faced each other twice at the FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup, with China winning one match, and the other ending in a draw. In their first encounter, China defeated Nigeria 3–0 in the group stage of the 2006 FIFA U-20 Women’s World Championship in Russia.

‎Despite the 3–0 loss to China, Nigeria finished second in Group B with six points (following a 3–2 win over Canada and an 8–0 rout of Finland). The Nigerian Falconets advanced to the quarter-finals, where they were narrowly defeated 2–1 by Brazil after extra time.

‎However, in their second encounter, Nigeria and China played a crucial Group D match on August 13, 2018, which ended in a 1–1 draw. China took the lead through Linyan Zhang, but a late stoppage-time own goal secured the draw that sent Nigeria’s Falconets through to the quarter-finals at China’s expense.

‎China has played 24 matches at the FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup, winning 11, drawing six and losing seven at the tournament so far.

‎The 2026 edition of the FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup will afford China the opportunity to showcase their football strength and also challenge for the title. They will be hoping to replicate their brilliant performances in 2004 and 2006, when the team reached the final of the FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup.

‎New Caledonia are making their historic debut appearance at the FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup in Poland. They secured their spot by reaching the final of the 2025 OFC U-19 Women’s Championship, highlighted by a crucial 2–0 semi-final victory over Fiji. There is no doubt that the team has a mountain to climb if they are to qualify from Group F.

‎As tournament debutants, they carry no prior match history or wins at this specific global stage, looking to write the opening chapter for women’s football in their country. With some promising players in the squad, New Caledonia will be seeking to cause a major upset in a group consisting of Nigeria, Spain and China.

‎Their biggest win is a regional record – OFC, where they defeated Papua New Guinea 8–0 on August 30, 2019, during the opening match of the Oceania Football Confederation (OFC) U-19/U-20 Women’s Championship in the Cook Islands. This 8–0 scoreline stands as the New Caledonia women’s national under-20 football team’s largest victory in international competition history.

‎At home, they are a strong side, but playing away from their comfort zone, New Caledonia will be eager to make a big statement of intent in Poland.

‎Historically, New Caledonia have been underdogs in the region, plagued by crushing defeats like a 26–0 loss to regional powerhouse New Zealand in 2015. The defeat remains New Caledonia’s odd record since their first appearance at U-19/U-20 levels.

‎This will be New Caledonia’s first appearance at the tournament, and they will be desperate to make a positive impact in Poland. A goal scored and a point secured will be considered a big achievement for New Caledonia.

‎As tournament debutants, they will rely on defensive organisation against top European opposition like Spain when they meet on Monday, 7 September 2026.