Nigeria’s Falconets stormed into the knockout stage of the 2026 FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup after crushing New Caledonia 10-1 in Poland.
The thumping victory at Stadion Miejski ŁKS Łódź saw Nigeria finish second in Group F and secure a place in the round of 16, where they will face England. The Falconets took control from the opening whistle and led 4-0 at half-time. They then added six more goals after the break to complete a dominant performance.
Ramotalahi Kareem opened the scoring from the penalty spot in the 17th minute. Rebecca Adegbemile doubled Nigeria’s lead just two minutes later. Seimeyeha Akekoromowei added a third in the 23rd minute before Kareem scored again four minutes later.
Nigeria continued to overwhelm New Caledonia after the restart. Winner David scored in the 60th minute before Kareem completed her hat-trick in the 64th. Tosin Rafiu then made it 7-0 in the 70th minute, with Adegbemile adding her second four minutes later. David scored again in the 75th minute before New Caledonia pulled one back through Joceline Kourevi in the 89th minute. David completed her own hat-trick in the 90th minute to seal Nigeria’s 10-1 victory.
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Redemption after Slow Start
The result was a major turnaround for the Falconets after a difficult start to the tournament. Nigeria opened their Group F campaign with a 2-0 defeat to Spain before playing out a goalless draw against China at Arena Sosnowiec.
The draw gave the Falconets their first point and kept their knockout hopes alive. They then produced their biggest performance of the group stage against New Caledonia.
Spain finished top of the group with nine points and had already secured qualification for the round of 16. China had entered the New Caledonia match after a 5-0 victory over the Pacific side, but Nigeria went several steps further with a 10-goal display.
With their place in the knockout stage secured, the Falconets will now turn their attention to England and a place in the quarter-finals.
