Falconets Chase First U-20 World Cup Semi-Final in 12 Years
Nigeria’s Falconets are one win away from returning to the semi-finals of the FIFA Under-20 Women’s World Cup for the first time in 12 years as they face Colombia in the quarter-finals in Poland.
The Nigerian side reached the last eight after a 3-0 victory over England in the round of 16, setting up a meeting with Colombia, who eliminated hosts Poland 1-0. Nigeria’s last appearance in the semi-finals came at the 2014 tournament in Canada.
The quarter-final is part of the final stretch of the competition, with Italy already securing a semi-final place after beating South Korea 3-1. Spain also joined the last four after defeating Brazil 1-0, setting up an all-European semi-final between the two sides on Wednesday.
Nigeria and Colombia will meet in the second quarter-final bracket alongside Canada and the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea. The winners of those two matches will contest the remaining semi-final, keeping Nigeria’s route to the title open.
The Falconets have already shown a sharp improvement after a difficult start to the tournament. Following two group-stage matches without a win, they scored 10 goals against New Caledonia before producing their biggest knockout-stage result against England.
A victory over Colombia would take Nigeria back into the competition’s final four and extend its run in a tournament where the team has traditionally been one of Africa’s strongest representatives. The quarter-final is scheduled for Sunday in Łódź.
