Nigeria’s Falconets have begun the final phase of their preparations for the 2026 FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup after arriving at their base in Trzebnica, Poland.
The team commenced training on Wednesday at the Stadion Miejski, Fair Play Arena, with head coach Moses Aduku and his assistants putting the players through a series of drills as they prepare for the tournament.
After arriving in Poland a day earlier, the squad immediately switched attention to preparations. The training programme includes work on tactics, ball control, physical conditioning and team coordination.
The Falconets are expected to play two friendly games before the World Cup. Their first test will come against Poland on Friday, August 28, while South Korea will provide the opposition in their second warm-up match on Tuesday, September 1.
The friendly fixtures are expected to give Nigeria valuable experience against international opposition while helping the players become accustomed to the European environment. They will also give the coaching crew an opportunity to assess the team before the competitive action begins.
The meeting with Poland is scheduled for the Municipal Stadium in Brzeg and will begin at 12pm local time. Nigeria’s game against South Korea will be held at the Remes Resort & Spa Football Stadium, with the match set to start at 4pm local time.
The squad suffered two changes before leaving Nigeria, with captain Joy Igbokwe and defender Faridat Abdulwahab missing the trip because of visa issues. Vivian Kachi and Alaba Olabiyi were subsequently called up to fill their places.
Nigeria will compete in Group F alongside Spain, China PR and New Caledonia. The Falconets will face Spain first on September 7, play China PR on September 10 and finish their group-stage campaign against New Caledonia on September 13.
Their route to the tournament included a 5-0 aggregate victory over Rwanda, followed by a 3-1 success against Senegal. They later overcame Malawi 3-2 on aggregate to secure qualification.
Aduku had earlier expressed satisfaction with the team’s progress before their departure from Abuja, stressing that the players had received adequate preparation and were travelling with the objective of going all the way.
Nigeria hold a unique record as the only African nation to have participated in every edition of the U-20 Women’s World Cup since the competition began in Canada 24 years ago.
The Falconets have finished as runners-up twice, in 2010 and 2014, and will be determined to go one step further this time by pursuing their first-ever world title.
