Nigeria’s Flying Eagles survived a penalty shootout to knock out hosts Côte d’Ivoire 4-3 and book their place in the 2026 WAFU B U-20 Championship final, following a gripping 2-2 draw after extra time in Yamoussoukro.
Côte d’Ivoire dominated the opening half, controlling possession and carving out the better chances before finally breaking through in the 17th minute. Despite continuing to press, the hosts couldn’t add a second goal, leaving the door open for Nigeria.
Abdul Maikaba’s side pushed back hard after the break. Captain Habila Simeon rose above his marker in the 68th minute to head home a long throw from Oraro Lucky, leveling the score and lifting Nigeria’s confidence for the remainder of regulation time. The match finished 1-1 after 90 minutes, forcing extra time.
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Nigeria struck early in the additional period. Oraro Lucky’s long throw once again caused chaos in the Ivorian box, and this time Aliyu Abubakar powered in a header to put the Flying Eagles ahead 2-1. Côte d’Ivoire refused to fold, though, hitting back in the 105th minute to force penalties.
Goalkeeper Clinton Lawani turned hero in the shootout, saving two Ivorian spot-kicks as Nigeria converted enough to win 4-3 and reach the final.
The result extends Nigeria’s recent grip on the tournament. The Flying Eagles have won the last two editions of the WAFU B U-20 Championship, beating Ghana’s Black Satellites 2-1 in the 2024 final in Lomé to defend the crown they first won in 2022 — the tournament’s inaugural title for
Nigeria since the competition launched in 2018. That run, however, hasn’t been entirely smooth this year: Nigeria finished second in their group after a 2-0 defeat to Burkina Faso, a side against which the Flying Eagles have never recorded a win at U-20 level in four previous meetings.
Beyond WAFU B, Nigeria remain the continent’s most decorated side at U-20 level, with a record seven Africa U-20 Cup of Nations titles (1983, 1985, 1987, 1989, 2005, 2011, 2015) and two runner-up finishes at the FIFA U-20 World Cup. Their 2024 WAFU B triumph fed into a 2025 U-20 AFCON campaign that ended painfully, with a heavy 4-0 loss to Argentina at the FIFA U-20 World Cup.
With qualification for the 2027 Africa U-20 Cup of Nations already secured by reaching the final, Maikaba’s side will now turn their focus to lifting the WAFU B trophy itself and carrying Nigeria’s continental ambitions into the year ahead.
