Nigeria’s Falconets are set to join Brazil and the United States as the only three countries to have featured in every edition of the FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup when the 2026 tournament begins in Poland.
The tournament is scheduled for September 5 to 27, with the number of participating teams expanded to 24 for the first time.
Nigeria has appeared in all 11 previous editions of the competition, which began in 2002 as the FIFA U-19 Women’s World Championship before being upgraded to the U-20 category in 2006.
The Falconets made their debut at the inaugural tournament in Canada in 2002 but were eliminated at the group stage. They progressed to the quarter-finals in 2004 and 2006 before making deeper runs in subsequent editions.
Their best finishes came in 2010 and 2014, when they ended the tournaments as runners-up.
In 2010, Nigeria lost 2-0 to hosts Germany in the final, while the 2014 campaign ended with a narrow 1-0 extra-time defeat to the same opponents in Canada.
The 2014 tournament also saw the emergence of former Falconets star Asisat Oshoala, who claimed both the Golden Ball and Golden Boot after an outstanding performance.
Nigeria finished fourth in 2012 and later reached the quarter-finals in 2018 and 2022. The team progressed to the Round of 16 in 2024, while the 2016 edition in Papua New Guinea ended at the group stage.
Across their 11 previous appearances, the Falconets have played 48 matches, recording 22 victories, 10 draws and 16 defeats, while scoring 77 goals.
At the 2026 tournament, Nigeria will compete in Group F alongside Spain, China PR and New Caledonia.
With their record of appearing at every edition already secured, the Falconets will now look to make history in Poland by pursuing Nigeria’s first-ever FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup title.
