Falconets head coach Moses Aduku has expressed strong confidence in the Nigeria U20 girls as preparations intensify for their third-round FIFA U20 Women's World Cup qualifying clash against Senegal.
The two-time World Cup silver medallists have spent recent weeks in camp fine-tuning tactics, team cohesion and overall strategy, with Aduku satisfied by the players' commitment and discipline. According to the coach, all invited players have been fully present and responded positively to training sessions.
Aduku stressed the importance of securing a positive result in the first leg, which Nigeria will host at the Lekan Salami Stadium, Ibadan, on Saturday, February 7, before the return leg in Dakar on February 14. He noted that friendly matches played so far have been instrumental in assessing the squad, particularly in improving attacking play while maintaining defensive balance.
The Falconets, who also reached the semi finals of the FIFA World Cup in Japan 14 years ago, will travel to Ibadan on 27th January to continue their preparations ahead of the fixture. While refraining from bold predictions, Coach Aduku expressed belief in the quality and mentality of the players, citing their competitive displays in recent friendly matches. He concluded by re-affirming the team's determination to make the nation proud and secure qualification.
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The winner of the Nigeria/Senegal fixture will go into the last round of the qualifying series, to confront the winner of the Guinea Bissau/Malawi fixture, for one of Africa's four tickets at the final tournament.
The 12th edition of the FIFA U20 Women's World Cup finals will be staged in Poland, 5 -27th September 2026.
