Ghana’s Black Starlets sealed a 2-0 victory over Nigeria in the semi-final of the WAFU B U-17 Championship in Ivory Coast on Tuesday, a result that not only booked their ticket to the 2026 U-17 Africa Cup of Nations but also ended the Golden Eaglets’ campaign.
The defeat means Nigeria, five-time FIFA U-17 World Cup winners, will miss the continental showpiece for the second successive edition, and by extension the newly-annual FIFA U-17 World Cup.
Nigeria’s head coach Manu Garba, who guided his nation to global glory in 2013, lashed out at the Confederation of African Football (CAF) over what he described as an unfair distribution of qualification slots.
“When they started the WAFU B competition in Niger Republic, we had seven countries and one country would qualify. I was the one who raised an observation that WAFU B is the strongest zone in Africa. So, Africa needs good representation, and that is why they gave us two slots,” Garba said.
“I am still complaining that it is wrong. Nigeria is still rated number one in the world at the FIFA U-17 level. How can CAF give us just two slots? In youth football, we are the strongest in Africa, and we should get at least three slots.”
Ghana and Ivory Coast will represent WAFU B at the 2026 U-17 AFCON, while Nigeria are left to reflect on a second straight failure after also missing out on the 2024 edition.
Despite Nigeria’s pedigree, their last appearance at the U-17 World Cup came in 2019, when they exited at the round of 16 against the Netherlands.
