Nigeria’s Falconets traveled to Kigali to defeat Rwanda 1-0 in a 2026 FIFA U20 Women’s World Cup second round, first leg qualifying match on Sunday. There was no breakthrough for either side in a gritty first 45 minutes of action in a match that drew low turnout at Kigali Pele Stadium. Alaba Olabiyi scored from a goalmouth scramble off a corner kick in the 70th minute to give the visitors the victory. Both teams will clash in the return at the Lekan Salami Stadium, Ibadan on Saturday, September 27. A draw will be enough for Nigeria to book a place in the next round of the qualifiers while Rwanda need to win by a two-goal margin to advance as battle for a ticket to 2026 FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup in Poland continues. It will be the second time that Poland has hosted a FIFA tournament having hosted the Men’s FIFA U-20 World Cup in 2019. It will also be the first time that the European country has hosted a FIFA women’s tournament. Four teams will qualify from Africa while Europe will produce six teams, CONCACAF, ASIA, CONMEBOL will produce four teams each, and two teams will qualify from Oceania.
