The Falconets have booked their place in the quarter-finals of the 2026 FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup after producing an impressive 3-0 victory over England in their Round of 16 clash on Thursday, Nigeriasoccernet.com reports.
Nigeria wasted little time in making their presence felt, taking the lead after just eight minutes through Tosin Rafiu.
The early goal gave Moses Aduku’s side confidence as they continued to control proceedings and put pressure on the Young Lionesses.
The Falconets carried their advantage into the break before extending it two minutes after the restart.
Janet Akekoromowei found the back of the net in the 47th minute to double Nigeria’s lead and leave England facing an uphill task.
England struggled to produce a response as Nigeria remained organised defensively while continuing to threaten whenever they moved forward.
Mary Mamudu eventually put the result beyond doubt in the 73rd minute, scoring Nigeria’s third goal to complete a convincing 3-0 win and send England out of the tournament.
The victory takes Nigeria into another quarter-final at a competition where the country has consistently been one of Africa’s leading representatives.
The Falconets entered the 2026 tournament as two-time runners-up, having reached the final in 2010 and 2014. Nigeria also remains the only African country to have featured at every edition of the competition since it was introduced as an U-19 tournament.
Nigeria’s group-stage campaign had not been straightforward. Aduku’s team began with a 2-0 defeat to Spain before playing out a goalless draw against China.
They responded strongly in their final Group F fixture, however, demolishing New Caledonia 10-1 to finish second and secure their passage into the knockout rounds.
England also reached the Round of 16 after finishing second in their group. The Young Lionesses opened with a 1-1 draw against Canada, followed it with a 5-1 victory over Tanzania, and then suffered a 2-1 defeat to Brazil.
The 3-0 triumph keeps Nigeria’s hopes of winning the FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup alive, with the Falconets now one step closer to chasing a first title at the tournament.
Nigeria will now turn their attention to the quarter-final stage as Aduku’s side continue their bid to make history in Poland.