Nigeria’s Falconets have secured a place in the quarter-finals of the 2026 FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup by defeating England 3-0 in their Round of 16 encounter in Poland on Thursday.
Tosin Rafiu gave Nigeria the lead in the eighth minute, and Seimeyeha Janet Akekoromowei doubled the advantage soon after half-time.
Mary Mamudu then sealed the scoring in the 73rd minute, as the Falconets claimed a convincing win at Stadion Miejski in Bielsko-Biała.
Nigeria began the match quickly and went ahead when Rafiu scored eight minutes in.
England had a chance to reply from the penalty spot in the first half, but goalkeeper and captain Christiana Uzoma kept out Rachel Maltby’s attempt to protect Nigeria’s lead.
The Falconets headed into the break with a 1-0 advantage.
They increased their lead only two minutes into the second half, with Akekoromowei scoring to make it 2-0.
England attempted to fight their way back into the match, but Nigeria maintained their advantage before Mamudu struck in the 73rd minute to remove any doubt about the outcome.
The win takes Moses Aduku’s team into the last eight of the tournament.
Nigeria had advanced to the knockout stage by finishing second in Group F with four points. The Falconets fell 2-0 to Spain in their opening match and played out a 0-0 draw with China before thrashing New Caledonia 10-1 in their final group fixture.
That emphatic victory over New Caledonia sent Nigeria into the Round of 16, where they were matched against England, who placed third in Group B.
The Falconets have now netted 13 goals across their last two matches, having failed to score in their first two group games.
Nigeria are two-time runners-up at the U-20 Women’s World Cup and will now carry on their pursuit of a first title in the quarter-finals.
