Tonight will go down as one of the darkest for Nigerian football after the Flying Eagles failed to qualify for the 2027 U20 AFCON to follow suit with the Super Falcons, who failed to pick an automatic ticket to next year’s Women’s World Cup in Brazil.
The Flying Eagles were roundly beaten 4-1 by Burkina Faso in the WAFU B final of the qualifying tournament in Cote d’Ivoire with NFF president, who also doubles as WAFU President, Ibrahim Gusau in attendance.
Burkina Faso will thus join hosts Ghana to next year’s U20 AFCON.
Alassane Bagayogo, Louckman Tapsoba and Issouf Dabo all scored for Burkina Faso within the first 15 minutes of tonight’s final to set the ball rolling for their coronation as the new kings of WAFU B.
In the second half, the team led by coach Abdu Maikaba pulled a goal back, before Burkinabes rubbed more salt to injury with a fourth goal from another free kick in stoppage time.
Like it was in the group stage where Burkina Faso won 2-0, the Young Stallions were deserved winners.
In Morocco, the Super Falcons were detroned by Cameroon in the quarterfinal and they will now try to see whether they could still qualify for next year’s World Cup first through a Play-in vs South Africa Thursday, before an Intercontinental Playoffs later in the year.
