Nigeria’s Falconets have reached the quarter-finals of the 2026 FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup after defeating England 3-0 on Thursday.
Tosin Rafiu, Janet Akekoromowei and Mercy Mamudu scored for Nigeria in a convincing Round of 16 victory in Poland.
Nigeria started strongly at the Stadion Miejski in Bielsko-Biała and took the lead after eight minutes.
Rafiu opened the scoring with a fine individual effort. She raced down the left, weaved past the England defence and fired the ball beyond goalkeeper Katie Cox.
England enjoyed more possession after going behind but struggled to break down Nigeria’s defence.
Goalkeeper Christiana Uzoma played a key role in keeping the Falconets ahead.
She first denied England forward Princess Ademiluyi with an important save.
England then won a penalty and had a chance to level the match.
Uzoma, however, saved Rachel Maltby’s effort and pushed the ball onto the crossbar before it was cleared.
Nigeria went into half-time with their 1-0 lead intact.
Falconets seal victory
The Falconets doubled their advantage just two minutes after the restart.
Akekoromowei met the ball with a left-footed volley to make it 2-0 and put Nigeria in firm control.
England tried to respond, but the Falconets continued to create the more dangerous chances.
Mamudu then completed the scoring in the 73rd minute to seal a 3-0 win for Nigeria.
The result caps a strong turnaround for Moses Aduku’s side.
Nigeria lost 2-0 to Spain in their opening Group F match before drawing 0-0 with China. The results left them with one point from their first two games.
Needing a win in their final group match, the Falconets responded with a 10-1 victory over New Caledonia.
The result sent Nigeria into the knockout stage as Group F runners-up with four points. Channels Television reported the New Caledonia victory as Nigeria’s route into the Round of 16.
Ramotalahi Kareem and Winner Onajite David scored hat-tricks in that match. Rebecca Adegbemile added two goals, while Akekoromowei and Rafiu also found the net.
Nigeria, two-time runners-up at the U-20 Women’s World Cup, will face the winner of the Poland-Colombia Round of 16 match in Lodz on Sunday for a place in the semi-finals.