Golden Eaglets crash out of WAFU-B Championship, miss 2027 World Cup

Nigeria’s Golden Eaglets have failed to qualify for the 2027 U-17 Africa Cup of Nations and the 2027 FIFA U-17 World Cup following a premature exit from the 2026 WAFU-B U-17 Championship.

The team’s qualification hopes were completely dashed after managing a 1-1 draw against Ivory Coast on Saturday.

Playing their second Group B fixture at the Stade du 4 Août in Ouagadougou, head coach Eboboritse Uwejamomere’s squad required a decisive victory to advance. Instead, Nigeria finished at the bottom of the table with a solitary point, compounding their earlier 2-1 loss to the Niger Republic.

During the encounter, Nigeria fell behind in the 16th minute when Alex Fousseni scored for Ivory Coast. The Eaglets pushed for an equaliser and eventually broke through in the 84th minute via a strike from Abiodun John, but failed to produce a winning goal before the final whistle.

Following the group stage conclusion, Niger Republic secured the top spot with four points, while Ivory Coast finished second with two points to advance.

The failure to progress means Nigeria will miss the U-17 AFCON for the third consecutive time, with the 2025, 2026, and 2027 editions hosted by Morocco.