Nigeria’s Golden Eaglets have been eliminated from the 2026 WAFU-B U-17 Championship despite fighting back to secure a 1-1 draw against hosts Ivory Coast on Saturday.
The result ended Nigeria’s hopes of qualifying for the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations, dealing another setback to the country’s youth football programme.
Côte d’Ivoire took the lead in the 17th minute through Alex Bamba, who found the net to put the hosts ahead in the Group B encounter.
Nigeria had started the match with attacking intent, with Godswill Usoro coming close to breaking the deadlock in the ninth minute.
ALSO READ: WAFU B U17 Championship: Olopade Charges Golden Eaglets to fly high in Burkina Faso
The young Nigerians had another opportunity to restore parity in the 38th minute when Mubarak Fasiu missed a clear chance to level the score.
Nigeria subsequently went into the half-time break trailing 1-0.
The Golden Eaglets continued searching for an equaliser after the restart and eventually found the breakthrough in the 85th minute, when Columbus scored to make it 1-1 and give Nigeria hope of completing a comeback.
Abiodun John then missed a golden opportunity to put Nigeria ahead in the 89th minute, as the Eaglets were unable to capitalise on their late momentum.
Nigeria’s failure to progress means the five-time FIFA U17 World Cup champions will miss the 2027 U17 AFCON and, consequently, the 2027 FIFA U17 World Cup, for which the continental tournament serves as a qualifying pathway.
