Falconets depart Nigeria today after visa delay disrupts World Cup plans
Nigeria’s Falconets are set to depart Nigeria today, Monday, August 24, for Poland ahead of the 2026 FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup after visa delays disrupted their original travel plans.
The Nigeria U-20 women’s national team was initially scheduled to leave the country on Thursday, August 20, but the delay in securing the required visas forced the postponement of the journey.
The West African team is now expected to embark on the trip today, with the late departure significantly reducing the time available for final preparations ahead of the tournament, which kicks off on September 5.
The visa setback has also affected plans for the Falconets to arrive early in Poland, acclimatise and play scheduled international friendly matches against hosts Poland and Korea Republic as part of their final preparations.
Head coach Moses Aduku and his technical crew will now have to maximise the limited time available upon arrival, with emphasis expected to be placed on acclimatisation, tactical adjustments and recovery from the journey.
The Falconets qualified for the tournament after defeating Rwanda 5-0 on aggregate, edging Senegal 3-2 and overcoming Malawi 3-2 in the final qualifying round.
Nigeria remain the only country to have qualified for every edition of the FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup since the competition began in 2002. The Falconets have finished runners-up twice, in 2010 and 2014, and reached the semi-finals in 2012.
At the 2024 edition in Colombia, Nigeria defeated Korea Republic 1-0 in their opening match before suffering a Round of 16 defeat to Japan.
The Falconets have been drawn in Group F alongside Spain, China PR and New Caledonia, with Spain scheduled to provide Nigeria’s opening test at the tournament.
With the long-delayed departure finally set for today, Aduku’s side will hope to quickly settle in Poland and make up for lost preparation time as they pursue a strong campaign at the World Cup.
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