Flying Eagles eye consecutive titles, AFCON qualification against Burkina Faso
Nigeria’s Flying Eagles will battle Burkina Faso’s Young Stallions on Sunday in the final of the 2026 WAFU B U20 Championship in Yamoussoukro, Côte d’Ivoire.
The seven-time African champions will be aiming to retain the regional title they won in Lomé in October 2024, while Sunday’s showdown will also determine the second team from the WAFU B zone to qualify for next year’s Africa U20 Cup of Nations, with hosts Ghana already assured of a place.
The final presents the Flying Eagles with an opportunity for redemption after they suffered a 2-0 defeat to Burkina Faso in the group stage. It will be the second meeting between the two sides in this year’s tournament and their first-ever clash in a WAFU B final.
Their recent encounters have been closely contested. The teams played out a 2-2 draw in Niger Republic in 2022, before Burkina Faso edged Nigeria 1-0 when they met in Lomé in 2024.
Flying Eagles coach Abdu Maikaba believes the group-stage defeat has given his team valuable insight ahead of Sunday’s decisive encounter.
“I think this is an opportunity for us to redeem ourselves having lost to Burkina Faso in the group stage. Having played them before, we now have an idea of their shape and structure and we are working on how to capitalize on their weaknesses, while also consolidating on our own strength.”
The Flying Eagles will now look to turn that experience into victory as they chase back-to-back WAFU B titles and a place at next year’s Africa U20 Cup of Nations.
The final will be played at the Stade Charles Konan Banny in Yamoussoukro, with kick-off scheduled for 7pm on Sunday.
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