Nigeria’s Golden Eaglets have suffered another major setback in youth football after failing to progress beyond the group stage of the 2026 WAFU B U-17 Championship in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso.
The five-time FIFA U-17 World Cup champions were eliminated following a 2-1 defeat to Niger and a 1-1 draw against Côte d’Ivoire. The disappointing results ended Nigeria’s hopes of qualifying for the 2027 Africa U-17 Cup of Nations in Morocco and the 2027 FIFA U-17 World Cup.
Head coach Eboboritse Uwejamomere travelled to Burkina Faso with a 25-man squad, but the team failed to deliver the results required to keep their campaign alive. For a country renowned for producing exceptional young footballers, the early exit represents another worrying chapter in the decline of its once-dominant youth football programme.
The latest elimination also means Nigeria will miss the FIFA U-17 World Cup for the fourth consecutive edition, having last participated in 2019. The country will also miss the U-17 AFCON for a third successive time, extending a worrying period of underachievement for a team that once dominated youth football.
The outcome has renewed criticism of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF), with supporters questioning the transparency of player selection and the effectiveness of the country’s youth development system. Some fans have called for open national trials and clearer pathways for talented youngsters, arguing that a country with Nigeria’s footballing resources should be producing more competitive age-grade teams.
Although social media reactions have been particularly harsh, the disappointment reflects broader concerns about how young players are identified, prepared and developed for international competition.
Nigeria’s record as five-time world champions makes the latest failure especially painful. The immediate priority for the NFF and the coaching staff will be to examine the reasons behind the team’s poor campaign, improve scouting and preparation, and establish a more reliable development structure.
For the Golden Eaglets, the draw against Côte d’Ivoire marked the end of their qualification hopes. For Nigerian football, it raises difficult questions about how to restore a once-celebrated youth team to the international stage.