Soccer
Nigeria’s Flying Eagles will face tournament hosts Côte d’Ivoire in a potentially blockbuster semi-final at the 2026 WAFU B U-20 Championship, Soccernet.ng reports.
This comes after coach Abdul Maikaba’s boys suffered a crushing 2-0 defeat to Burkina Faso in their final Group B match on Sunday at the Lycée Scientifique Stadium in Yamoussoukro.
The Flying Eagles went into the game knowing they had already secured a place in the last four following impressive victories over Ghana (4-2) and Togo (3-0). However, Burkina Faso produced a disciplined performance to hand Nigeria their first defeat of the competition and leapfrog them to the top of Group B.
The Young Stallions opened the scoring in the 23rd minute when they powered home a header from a well-worked corner kick, leaving the Flying Eagles chasing the game. Burkina Faso doubled their advantage 13 minutes later through a stunning free-kick from around 30 yards that flew beyond the Nigerian goalkeeper and into the net.
Nigeria pushed for a response after the break but could not find a way through Burkina Faso’s organised defence. The defeat ended the Flying Eagles’ unbeaten run in the tournament and meant they finished second in Group B with six points from three matches, while Burkina Faso claimed first place with seven points after two wins and one draw.
Soccer Flying Eagles now face unbeaten hosts with AFCON ticket at stake
Finishing as Group B runners-up has handed Nigeria a the tough semi-final matchup as they prepare to take on unbeaten hosts Côte d’Ivoire, who dominated Group A to finish as winners.
The Ivorians won both of their group matches to collect a perfect six points. They began their campaign with an emphatic 5-0 victory over Benin Republic before defeating Niger 2-0 to seal top spot. The hosts scored seven goals across those two matches without conceding once, as they displayed their strength at both ends of the pitch.
That sets up one of the biggest matches of the tournament between two of West Africa’s strongest youth teams. While Côte d’Ivoire will rely on home support in Yamoussoukro, Nigeria will hope to rediscover the attacking form that saw them score seven goals in victories over Ghana and Togo earlier in the group stage.
The winner of the semi-final will not only advance to the WAFU B U-20 Championship final but will also secure qualification for the 2027 TotalEnergies U-20 Africa Cup of Nations.
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