Golden Eaglets out of WAFU B U-17 Championship, will miss 2027 U-17 AFCON
The Golden Eaglets drew 1-1 with Côte d'Ivoire in Ouagadougou on Saturday after losing 2-1 to Niger, so Nigeria are out and will miss a third U-17 AFCON in a row.
By John Christian Mmaduabuchi, Chief Editor
· · 3 min read · Ouagadougou
- Nigeria's Golden Eaglets drew 1-1 with Côte d'Ivoire in Ouagadougou on Saturday, 17 October 2026, and are out of the WAFU B U-17 Championship.
- Niger beat Nigeria 2-1 on Wednesday, 14 October; Abdoul Razaq Zada and Abdoul Rakilou scored before substitute Mubarak Fasiu pulled one back in stoppage time.
- Nigeria will miss the 2027 U-17 Africa Cup of Nations, their third absence in a row, and with it the 2027 FIFA U-17 World Cup.
Correction, 18 Oct 2026: An earlier version of this story said Nigeria had missed one U-17 AFCON and risked a second straight absence. Nigeria also failed to qualify for the 2026 tournament, so the 2027 edition will be their third absence in a row. All corrections
The gist in 30 seconds
- Nigeria's Golden Eaglets drew 1-1 with Côte d'Ivoire in Ouagadougou on Saturday, 17 October 2026, and are out of the WAFU B U-17 Championship.
- Niger beat Nigeria 2-1 on Wednesday, 14 October; Abdoul Razaq Zada and Abdoul Rakilou scored before substitute Mubarak Fasiu pulled one back in stoppage time.
- Nigeria will miss the 2027 U-17 Africa Cup of Nations, their third absence in a row, and with it the 2027 FIFA U-17 World Cup.
Updated 09:13 WAT, 18 Oct 2026: The Golden Eaglets drew 1-1 with Côte d’Ivoire on Saturday and are out of the WAFU B U-17 Championship, so Nigeria will miss the 2027 U-17 AFCON.
Nigeria’s Golden Eaglets are out of the WAFU B U-17 Championship after a 1-1 draw with Côte d’Ivoire in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso, on Saturday, 17 October 2026, Premium Times, The Guardian and Blueprint reported. Nigeria’s under-17 side needed a win after losing 2-1 to Niger in their opening match on Wednesday, 14 October.
Why it matters
The championship is West African Zone B’s qualifying tournament for the 2027 U-17 Africa Cup of Nations in Morocco, BoldSports and Blueprint reported. The U-17 AFCON also decides which African teams go to the FIFA U-17 World Cup.
Elimination means Nigeria will miss the U-17 AFCON for the third edition in a row. They also failed to qualify for the 2025 and 2026 tournaments, both held in Morocco, BoldSports and The Eagle Online reported. In May 2024 the Golden Eaglets lost their WAFU B semi-final 1-0 to Côte d’Ivoire in Accra, which cost them a place at the 2025 tournament, Blueprint reported at the time.
The five-time world champions will also miss a fourth straight FIFA U-17 World Cup. Their last appearance was in 2019, Premium Times and BoldSports reported.
How did Niger win?
Abdoul Razaq Zada put Niger ahead in the 19th minute after an error by Nigeria goalkeeper Mutiu Adedayo, Complete Sports reported. Niger led 1-0 at half-time at the Stade du 4-Août, according to Blueprint.
Abdoul Rakilou doubled the lead in the 86th minute. Substitute Mubarak Fasiu pulled one back for Nigeria in the fifth minute of stoppage time, but it came too late, Premium Times and BoldSports reported. Niger’s Saminou Salissou Nouhou was named man of the match.
How did the Côte d’Ivoire game end?
Niger had drawn 1-1 with Côte d’Ivoire in their first game, so only a win would have taken coach Eboboritse Uwejamomere’s side through. Côte d’Ivoire scored in the first half at the Stade du 4-Août, and Nigeria equalised in the closing minutes but could not find a winner, The Eagle Online and BoldSports reported.
Niger finished top of Group B with four points and Côte d’Ivoire second with two, so both go through to the semi-finals. Nigeria finished bottom with one point, BoldSports reported.
What has the reaction been?
Former Nigeria international Ifeanyi Udeze said he was shocked by the result. “I still can’t process it, I can’t believe the Golden Eaglets lost to a team like Niger Republic,” he told Brila FM, Complete Sports reported.
What happens next
Niger and Côte d’Ivoire go on to the semi-finals in Ouagadougou, and Nigeria’s campaign is over. Because the 2027 U-17 AFCON in Morocco also decides Africa’s places at the 2027 FIFA U-17 World Cup, the Golden Eaglets will be absent from both, Premium Times and The Guardian reported.
What do you think went wrong for the Golden Eaglets? Tell GistMatrix.
Sources
We checked this story against these sources. How we check
- Premium Times: WAFU B U-17 Qualifiers: Nigeria's Golden Eaglets lose to Niger in opening game (14 Oct 2026)
- Blueprint: 2026 WAFU B U-17 Championship: Golden Eaglets fall to Niger Rep in opener (14 Oct 2026)
- Blueprint: 2026 WAFU-B U-17 Boys' Championship: Golden Eaglets succumb to Niger defeat, risk another AFCON absence (14 Oct 2026)
- Complete Sports: WAFU B U-17 Championship: Golden Eaglets Lose 2-1 To Niger (14 Oct 2026)
- Complete Sports: I Can't Understand How Golden Eaglets Lost To Niger Republic — Udeze (15 Oct 2026)
- BoldSports: Golden Eaglets lose 2-1 to Niger in WAFU B U17 Championship opener (14 Oct 2026)
- Blueprint: Ghana, Nigeria crash out of WAFU B tourney, fail to qualify for African championship (26 May 2024)
- Premium Times: WAFU-B U-17 Championship: Nigeria's Golden Eaglets crash out, to miss AFCON, World Cup again (17 Oct 2026)
- The Guardian: Nigeria's Golden Eaglets exit WAFU-B Under-17 Championship (17 Oct 2026)
- Blueprint: For the third time consecutively, Golden Eaglets crash out of WAFU-B U17 Championship, miss World Cup (17 Oct 2026)
- BoldSports: Golden Eaglets to miss 2027 U-17 AFCON, World Cup after WAFU-B Championship elimination (17 Oct 2026)
- The Eagle Online: Golden Eaglets crash out of WAFU-B Championship, miss third straight U-17 AFCON (18 Oct 2026)
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John Christian Mmaduabuchi is a Nigerian filmmaker, creative director, and media professional with extensive experience in digital storytelling, visual journalism, and contemporary media. His Journalism interests span Nigerian and African current affairs, entertainment, culture, technology, lifestyle, media, and the people shaping public conversation. With a background in film direction and documentary production, he brings a strong visual and narrative perspective to editorial work, with particular attention to context, clarity, and compelling storytelling. John is also a creative entrepreneur focused on storytelling, entertainment, culture, and digital content. His professional experience across directing, cinematography, editing, media strategy, and emerging AI technologies gives him a broad understanding of how stories are created, distributed, and consumed in the digital age. At GistMatrix, John contributes to the development and presentation of timely, engaging, and relevant stories for a contemporary audience. His approach to editorial work is grounded in accuracy, context, responsible storytelling, and a commitment to covering stories that matter.
