Nigeria’s Under-20 side, Falconets, have qualified for the 2026 FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup after seeing off Malawi in Lilongwe on Saturday evening to reach Poland 2026. The Falconets progressed thanks to a 3-2 aggregate victory over Malawi, led by the heroics of Prescious Oscar coming off the bench.
This remarkable win marks the Falconets’ 12th appearance in the FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup since 2002, per Bettingtop10 Nigeria. In what will be remembered as a night of nerves for the Falconets, Nigeria traveled to Malawi for the second leg already leading by two goals, thanks to an own goal by Malawian defender Maureen Kenneth and a goal by Kindness Ifeanyi in the first leg in Ikenne.
Malawi scored early through Faith Chimzimu just after the ninth-minute mark to give the home fans at the Bingu National Stadium something to cheer about. Nigeria would have been back on level terms but for a powerful header from Favour Nkwocha across the face of goal from an Ifeanyi cross that struck the woodwork. The score was 1-0 at halftime.
Malawi, sensing itself on the verge of its first U-20 Women’s Cup appearance, soon had a reality check. Chimzimu refused to let the Falconets be denied from destiny, tying the heated contest at 2 goals in the tenth minute of the second half. Unrelenting in the attack, Falconets coach Moses Aduku brought on substitutes, and they made the difference when Precious Oscar scored in the 62nd minute.
The dramatic game-winning goal came after Oscar pinned a Malawian defender to the ground and stole the ball back. Keeping her cool, Oscar slickly slipped past the third and game-winning goal to reaffirm Nigeria’s dominance in female football competition. The Falconets still await their opponent. The championship match takes place in Lodz, Poland, on May 15. The Falconets, who have been runners-up twice, Germany 2010 and Canada 2014.
