Aduku Confident Falconets Can Overcome England in U-20 Women’s World Cup Round of 16
Falconets head coach Moses Aduku says he is confident Nigeria can overcome a difficult England side when the two teams clash in the Round of 16 of the 2026 FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup in Bielsko-Biala, Poland, on Thursday, September 17.
Nigeria booked their place in the knockout stage after a commanding 10-1 victory over tournament debutants New Caledonia at the Stadion Miejski ŁKS Łódź on Sunday, a result that lifted the Falconets to a second-place finish in Group F behind group winners Spain, who topped the standings with nine points. Nigeria’s route through the group stage proved eventful, having opened the tournament with a 2-0 defeat to Spain before playing out a goalless draw with China PR, leaving the emphatic win over New Caledonia as a crucial confidence and goal-difference boost heading into the knockout rounds.
The rout over New Caledonia was inspired by a hat-trick from Onajite David, who scored in the 60th, 75th, and stoppage-time minutes of the second half, with further goals from Ramotalahi Kareem, Tosin Rafiu, and Rebecca Adegbemile completing the emphatic scoreline. Kareem, who also praised her own contribution to the win, said she was pleased with her hat-trick and expressed confidence that Nigeria could overcome the challenge posed by England in the last-16 tie.
England secured their place in the knockout stage by finishing second in Group B on four points, behind group winners Brazil, edging out Canada on superior team conduct score to advance. Speaking on Nigeria’s progress and the challenge that lies ahead, Aduku expressed satisfaction with his side’s improvement but acknowledged that defensive lapses remain an area requiring urgent attention before facing a strong England team. He noted that his side had conceded more goals than he would have liked so far in the tournament and stressed the need to tighten up defensively ahead of the knockout stage, while maintaining that his players remain determined to keep their title hopes alive.
Reflecting on the significance of qualifying for the Round of 16, Aduku said the team was grateful for the goals scored against New Caledonia and pleased to have secured progression to the knockout phase, while cautioning that the tournament was effectively just beginning for his side, given the increased stakes of the knockout format. He stressed that only wins would matter from this point forward if Nigeria are to be crowned champions.
Nigeria remain two-time runners-up at the FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup, having finished as finalists in 2010 and 2014, and will be looking to draw on that experience as they aim to progress further in the Poland-hosted tournament. The Round of 16 draw has thrown up several other notable ties, including Brazil against the United States in Katowice and Argentina against Korea Republic at the Arena Sosnowiec, both scheduled for Wednesday, ahead of Nigeria’s own meeting with England on Thursday in what promises to be one of the standout fixtures of the knockout stage.
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