Boluwatife Kehinde
The Nigeria U20 women’s national team, the Falconets, are set to kick off their campaign at the 2025 West African Football Union (WAFU Zone B) U20 Women’s Cup with a clash against the Black Maidens of Ghana, the defending champions. The opening match will take place at 10 a.m. on Saturday in Cotonou, Benin Republic.
According to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), the tournament organisers announced on November 2 a postponement and restructuring of the competition. This came after the withdrawal of Mali and Burkina Faso, prompting a shift to a new league-style format.
The revised structure was introduced to maintain competitiveness and ensure more game time for the remaining teams, despite the reduced number of participants.
Organisers explained that the changes were designed to enhance player growth, encourage tactical development, and foster fair play, in line with WAFU’s broader goal of strengthening women’s youth football in the sub-region.
Originally planned for November 3–10, the tournament will now take place from November 7–12, featuring just three teams — Nigeria, Ghana, and hosts Benin Republic.
In place of the traditional group and knockout format, the 2025 edition will adopt a round-robin system, where each team faces the others home and away. The nation with the highest points total at the end of all fixtures will be crowned the WAFU B U20 Women’s Champion.
