Nigeria will face England in the last 16 of the 2026 FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup after the Falconets recovered from a slow start to reach the knockout stage, Footynaija reports.
Moses Aduku’s side lost 2-0 to Spain in their opening Group F match on 7 September, with Marisa García scoring in the 13th minute before Alba Cerrato added Spain’s second in the 72nd minute at Arena Sosnowiec.
Nigeria then drew 0-0 with China on 10 September. China hit the crossbar twice, but the Falconets held on for a point that kept their hopes alive.
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They sealed qualification in style three days later, thrashing New Caledonia 10-1 in Łódź. Ramotalahi Kareem and Winner David scored hat-tricks, while Rebecca Adegbemile added two goals. Seimeyeha Akekoromowei and Tosin Rafiu also found the net.
The result took Nigeria to four points and second place in Group F, setting up a last-16 meeting with England on 17 September at Stadion Miejski Bielsko-Biała. Kick-off is scheduled for 2pm local time.
England also finished second in their group with four points. They drew 1-1 with Canada in their opening game before beating Tanzania 5-1, with Rachel Maltby scoring a hat-trick that included two penalties.
Brazil then defeated England 2-1 on 11 September, with Gisele scoring the winner in the fifth minute of added time. England still progressed after finishing level with Canada on points, head-to-head record, goal difference and goals scored. Their superior disciplinary record gave them second place.
England scored seven goals and conceded four across the group stage, while Nigeria scored 10 in their final match alone.
Nigeria are the only African team to reach the knockout stage. Ghana finished third in Group C after beating South Korea 3-1 but losing to Ecuador and France. Tanzania lost all three Group B matches against Brazil, England and Canada, while debutants Benin collected one point from a 2-2 draw with Mexico before defeats by Argentina and hosts Poland.
The Falconets now need one more victory to reach the quarter-finals, but England will provide a much stronger test than New Caledonia.
