Nigeria vs Senegal: Pitch concerns force Falconets’ Poland 2026 qualifier away from Ibadan

Nigeria’s U20 women’s national team, the Falconets, will now face Senegal in Abeokuta in the first leg of their third-round qualifier for the 2026 FIFA U20 Women’s World Cup, Soccernet.ng reports.

This development comes after the Confederation of African Football (CAF) approved a change of venue.

The match, originally scheduled to take place at the Lekan Salami Stadium in Ibadan on Saturday, 7 February 2026, will instead be played at the MKO Abiola Sports Complex in the Ogun State capital. The return leg is fixed for Dakar on 14 February, with the aggregate winner advancing to the final qualifying round.

The Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) confirmed that the request for a venue change was prompted by concerns over the condition of the pitch in Ibadan, which had deteriorated significantly despite hosting an international fixture a few months ago.

NFF Director of Competitions, Ruth David, said CAF approved the relocation after inspections raised doubts about the suitability of the playing surface. The Lekan Salami Stadium had earlier hosted Nigeria’s second-round return leg against Rwanda in September 2025.

As a result of the decision, the Falconets, who have been camping in Ibadan, are expected to move their preparations to Abeokuta in the coming days to allow time to adjust to the new playing surface.

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Nigeria: Falconets seek to maintain perfect record

Nigeria head into the tie with momentum after recording a dominant 5-0 aggregate victory over Rwanda in the previous round of the African qualifying series.

The Falconets boast an imposing record at this level, having qualified for every edition of the FIFA U20 Women’s World Cup since its inception. They finished as runners-up in both 2010 and 2014, and reached the semi-finals in 2012, underlining their status as one of Africa’s most consistent youth sides.

Victory over Senegal would move Nigeria into the final round of qualification, where they would face either Guinea-Bissau or Malawi for a place at the tournament in Poland, scheduled to run from 5 to 27 September 2026.

Senegal, by contrast, are still chasing a landmark breakthrough. The West Africans have never qualified for the U20 Women’s World Cup and see the tie against Nigeria as an opportunity to make history.

Africa will be represented by four teams at the finals in Poland, with qualification expected to be fiercely contested in the concluding stages of the campaign.