Eaglets crash out of WAFU B Cup, miss U-17 AFCON, World Cup

By Tosin Omojola

Nigeria’s Golden Eaglets have been eliminated from the WAFU B U-17 Boys Cup after drawing 1-1 with Côte d’Ivoire, missing out on qualification for next year’s U-17 Africa Cup of Nations and, consequently, the FIFA U-17 World Cup.

The result extends Nigeria’s absence from the U-17 World Cup, having last featured at the tournament in 2019.

Côte d’Ivoire took the lead in the 16th minute through Alex Fousseni, leaving Nigeria with an uphill task in a must-win encounter to keep their qualification hopes alive.

The Golden Eaglets struggled to break down the Ivorian defence as their opponents held on to the lead, increasing the pressure on the Nigerian youngsters to find an equaliser.

Nigeria eventually drew level in the 84th minute through Abiodun John, raising hopes of a late turnaround.

However, the equaliser came too late to change the outcome of Nigeria’s campaign.

The match ended 1-1, confirming the Golden Eaglets’ elimination from the competition and ending their hopes of qualifying for the 2027 U-17 Africa Cup of Nations and the FIFA U-17 World Cup.