Golden Eaglets out of WAFU-B U-17 Championship after 1-1 draw with Côte d'Ivoire

Nigeria's Golden Eaglets are out of the 2026 WAFU-B U-17 Championship after a 1-1 draw with Côte d'Ivoire in Burkina Faso on Saturday, a result that ends their hopes of reaching the 2027 U-17 Africa Cup of Nations in Morocco.

Having lost their opening match 2-1 to Niger Republic, Eboboritse Uwejamomere's side needed a victory at the Stade du 4 Août in Ouagadougou to stay in the tournament. They fell behind early, equalised late and could not find the goal that mattered.

The consequences run well beyond this tournament. According to Premium Times, missing the continental finals also rules Nigeria out of the 2027 FIFA U-17 World Cup in Qatar, since the Africa Cup of Nations is the qualifying route to the World Cup, as TheCable notes.

An early goal and a late miss

Côte d'Ivoire struck first. PM News Nigeria reported that Alex Fousseni put the Ivorians ahead in the 16th minute, while The Guardian Nigeria credited the goal to Alex Bamba in the 17th. Either way, Nigeria spent most of the match chasing it.

The equaliser did not arrive until the 80th minute, according to Premium Times, leaving the Eaglets ten minutes plus stoppage time to find a winner they had to have.

The chance came. The Guardian Nigeria reported that John Abiodun missed an opportunity to win it in the 89th minute. The match finished 1-1, and that was that.

Niger and Côte d'Ivoire progressed from Group B, with the Ivorians finishing second behind Niger, according to the Ghana Football Association. Nigeria go home with one point from two matches.

Uwejamomere had sounded confident before kick-off. "We had a setback in the game against Niger Republic, but we are in great spirit to overcome it as we play Côte d'Ivoire on Saturday," he said, in comments reported by Premium Times. The spirit was there in the second half. The finishing was not.

A long absence grows longer

This is a painful outcome for a nation that once treated the U-17 World Cup as its own. Premium Times describes Nigeria as a five-time champion at that level, with titles in 1985, 1993, 2007, 2013 and 2015.

Yet the Eaglets have not appeared at the finals since 2019 in Brazil, where they reached the round of 16, according to Premium Times. Missing Qatar 2027 extends that absence to four consecutive editions.

The problem starts closer to home. Nigeria arrived in Burkina Faso seeking a return to the U-17 Africa Cup of Nations after missing the previous two editions, according to Premium Times. Instead, a defeat and a draw in the group mean a third successive edition without them.