AFCON 2025
Nigeria’s Golden Eaglets have been eliminated from the 2026 WAFU-B U-17 Championship following a 1-1 draw against Côte d’Ivoire in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso, on Saturday.
The result confirms Nigeria’s failure to qualify for the 2027 U-17 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) and the 2027 FIFA U-17 World Cup, extending the country’s absence from both competitions.
The five-time FIFA U-17 World Cup champions needed a victory to keep their qualification hopes alive after losing their opening Group B match 2-1 to Niger Republic. However, they were unable to secure the three points despite a late equaliser.
Côte d’Ivoire took the lead in the 16th minute through Alex Fousseni, putting the Golden Eaglets under pressure as they sought to recover from their opening defeat.
Nigeria improved after the break and eventually drew level in the 84th minute through Abiodun John, who restored hope for the Nigerian side.
However, the equaliser was not enough to prevent elimination. John missed a one-on-one opportunity late in the game, while another goalbound effort was saved by the Ivorian goalkeeper as Nigeria failed to find a decisive winner.
The Golden Eaglets finished bottom of Group B with just one point from two matches. Niger Republic topped the group with four points, while Côte d’Ivoire finished second with two points. The remaining Group B fixtures will determine the other semi-finalists.
The elimination marks the third consecutive edition of the U-17 AFCON that Nigeria will miss and the fourth successive FIFA U-17 World Cup the country will be absent from. The Golden Eaglets last featured at the global tournament in 2019.
Nigeria remain the most successful nation in FIFA U-17 World Cup history, having won the competition five times. However, their latest setback raises fresh concerns about the state of the country’s youth football development and its ability to consistently produce teams capable of qualifying for major international tournaments.
The failure to progress from the WAFU-B Championship represents another disappointing chapter for a team historically associated with success at youth level.
