Nigeria's Flying Eagles have secured a place in the final of the 2026 WAFU B U-20 Championship after defeating hosts Côte d'Ivoire 4-3 on penalties in Wednesday's semi-final, NigeriaSoccernet.com reports.
The highly anticipated encounter, played this afternoon, ended 2-2 after extra time, with the seven-time African U-20 champions going on to win the penalty shootout over the Young Elephants to keep the hopes of retaining the regional title alive.
The victory caps another impressive performance from the Flying Eagles, who have shown resilience throughout the tournament to reach the championship match.
Nigeria will now face the winner of the second semi-final between Burkina Faso and Niger Republic in Sunday's final, where they will be aiming to add another WAFU B U-20 Championship title to their growing list of honours.
Beyond the race for the trophy, the competition continues to serve as a vital platform for nurturing emerging talents across West Africa, providing young players with valuable international experience ahead of future continental and global tournaments.
Having once again demonstrated their pedigree at youth level, the Flying Eagles will now turn their full attention to Sunday's final as they seek to complete another successful WAFU B U-20 Championship campaign.
With the win, the Flying Eagles have now secured qualification for the 2027 U-20 AFCON in Ghana.
Oluwayemi Omolagba