By ADERONKE OJO

Nigeria’s Under-20 Women’s National Team, the Falconets, have commenced camping in Abuja ahead of the 2026 FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup, scheduled to hold in Poland from Sept. 5 to Sept. 27.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the Director of Media and Communications of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF), Ademola Olajire, disclosed this in a statement issued on Thursday in Abuja.

According to the statement, Head Coach Moses Aduku has invited 28 players to camp, with 16 already in, as preparations gather momentum for the tournament.

The remaining Invited players are expected to report in the coming days.

The technical crew has commenced intensive training sessions aimed at assessing the players and fine-tuning the squad ahead of the competition.

The Falconets qualified for the World Cup after an impressive qualifying campaign, defeating Rwanda 5-0 on aggregate in the second round before edging Senegal 3-2 on aggregate in the penultimate round.

They sealed qualification with a 3-2 aggregate victory over Malawi in the final qualifying round, extending Nigeria’s record as the only African nation to qualify for every edition of the FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup since the competition was introduced in 2002.

Nigeria remains one of the tournament’s most successful teams, having finished as runners-up in 2010 and 2014, while also reaching the semi-finals in 2012.

At the 2024 edition in Colombia, the Falconets opened their campaign with a 1-0 victory over Korea Republic before exiting the competition in the Round of 16 after a defeat by Japan.

Falconets will be aiming to build on their impressive pedigree by challenging for a maiden FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup title.

NAN reports that Falconets have been drawn in Group F for the Poland 2026 tournament alongside Spain, China PR and Paraguay. (NAN)