Falconets to Face Ghana in 2025 WAFU B U20 Cup Opener
Nigeria’s Falconets will begin their 2025 WAFU B U20 Girls’ Cup campaign with a tough opening match against defending champions Ghana on Saturday in Cotonou, Benin Republic.
The regional competition, which runs from 7 to 12 November, has been reduced to only three nations — Nigeria, Ghana, and hosts Benin — following the late withdrawal of Ivory Coast and Burkina Faso.
As a result, organisers have introduced a round-robin format where each team will face the others twice. The side with the most points at the end of the fixtures will be crowned champions.
Head coach Moses Aduku will lead the Falconets into the tournament with the aim of reclaiming the title Nigeria narrowly lost to Ghana in 2023. The team has been training intensively in Porto-Novo ahead of their 10 a.m. kickoff against the Black Princesses on Saturday, 8 November.
Aduku, who replaced long-serving coach Chris Danjuma in July, brings plenty of experience to the job. The former Bayelsa Queens and Edo Queens coach previously worked as Danjuma’s assistant during the Falconets’ run to the quarter-finals of the 2022 FIFA U20 Women’s World Cup in Costa Rica.
Beyond the regional rivalry, the Falconets are also using the WAFU Cup to fine-tune their preparations for the final rounds of the 2026 U20 Women’s World Cup qualifiers.
Nigeria recently defeated Rwanda 5-0 on aggregate to reach the third round, where they will face Senegal, who thrashed Algeria 6-0. The winner will advance to the final qualifying stage to meet either Guinea-Bissau or Malawi.
Ghana, who started their title defence on Friday with a 2-0 win over Benin through goals from Linda Owusu Ansah and Sarah Nyarko, will once again pose a major threat to Nigeria’s title ambitions.
Both teams last met in the 2023 WAFU B U20 final, which Ghana won 3-1 on penalties after a 1-1 draw in regulation time. The Falconets will now look to turn the tables in Cotonou and make history by lifting the trophy in the second edition of the competition, reaffirming their dominance in West African women’s football.
