Nigeria to battle Spain, China at FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup

Nigeria’s Falconets will face former champions Spain and China PR in Group F of the 2026 FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup following Friday’s draw ceremony held in Łódź, Poland.

The Nigerian ladies were also drawn alongside debutants New Caledonia in what promises to be one of the most competitive groups of the expanded 24-team tournament scheduled for 5 to 27 September.

The draw ceremony took place at the EC1 Cultural Centre in Poland, with Falconets Head Coach Moses Aduku in attendance.

Spain, one of the strongest teams in women’s youth football, headlines Group F, while China PR add further pedigree to a group that will test the Falconets’ ambitions of making another deep run at the tournament.

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Nigeria qualified for the championship after overcoming Malawi 3-2 on aggregate in the final qualifying round and will once again carry Africa’s hopes alongside Ghana, Tanzania and the Benin Republic.

The Falconets remain one of the most consistent teams in the history of the competition, having reached the final twice, in 2010 and 2014, losing on both occasions to Germany.

This year’s edition will, however, be without Germany for the first time in tournament history.

Elsewhere, African representatives Ghana were drawn in Group C alongside France, the Republic of Korea, and Ecuador, while Tanzania landed in Group B with Brazil, Canada and England.

Benin Republic, one of the tournament debutants, will face hosts Poland, Argentina and Mexico in Group A.

Defending champions North Korea were drawn in Group E alongside Portugal, Costa Rica and Colombia.

The tournament will be hosted across four Polish cities — Łódź, Katowice, Sosnowiec and Bielsko-Biała.

The 2026 edition is also set to make history with six debutant nations participating, including Poland, Portugal, New Caledonia, Ecuador, Tanzania and the Benin Republic.

There are a number of repeat fixtures at the global showpiece. France previously met the Republic of Korea in the group stage of the 2022 Costa Rica tournament, which Les Bleuettes won 1-0. Brazil downed Canada 2-0 at Costa Rica 2024, where Korea DPR trounced Costa Rica 9-0.

Meanwhile, Japan defeated the USA at both the 2018 and 2022 tournaments.

The FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup 2026, which will be Poland’s first-ever major global women’s tournament, will be contested across four host cities: Bielsko-Biała, Katowice, Lodz and Sosnowiec.