Nigeria’s Falconets will open their campaign at the 2026 FIFA Under-20 Women’s World Cup against former title winners Spain and China PR after Friday’s group draw in Łódź, Poland, placed them in Group F.
The Nigerian side were also grouped with debutants New Caledonia, setting up what looks set to be among the tightest pools in the expanded 24-team competition, which runs from 5 to 27 September.
Spain, widely regarded as one of the leading nations in women’s youth football, take the top billing in Group F, with China PR adding extra quality to a section expected to challenge the Falconets’ hopes of reaching the business end of the tournament once again.
Nigeria qualified for the finals after edging past Malawi 3-2 on aggregate in the last qualifying round, and the team will carry Africa’s ambitions into the competition once more alongside Ghana, Tanzania and the Benin Republic.
The Falconets have long been a model of consistency at this level, reaching the final twice—first in 2010 and again in 2014—before finishing runners-up on both occasions to Germany.
However, this year’s tournament will stand out for a new reason: Germany will not be present, the first time the defending champions will be absent since the competition began.
In other sections of the draw, Ghana were placed in Group C with France, the Republic of Korea and Ecuador, while Tanzania landed in Group B alongside Brazil, Canada and England.
The Benin Republic, making their tournament debut, will take on hosts Poland, Argentina and Mexico in Group A.
Defending champions North Korea were drawn in Group E with Portugal, Costa Rica and Colombia.
Matches will be staged across four Polish cities—Łódź, Katowice, Sosnowiec and Bielsko-Biała.
The 2026 edition will also feature a first in terms of participation, with six teams making their debut at the finals: Poland, Portugal, New Caledonia, Ecuador, Tanzania and the Benin Republic.
There are also several potential throwbacks to previous editions. France faced the Republic of Korea in the group stage of the 2022 Costa Rica tournament, with Les Bleuettes winning 1-0. Brazil beat Canada 2-0 at Costa Rica 2024, where Korea DPR then overcame Costa Rica 9-0.
Japan, meanwhile, previously defeated the USA at both the 2018 and 2022 tournaments.
The FIFA Under-20 Women’s World Cup 2026—Poland’s first major global women’s tournament—will be contested in Bielsko-Biała, Katowice, Łódź and Sosnowiec.
