Nigeria U-17s Eliminated, Miss 2027 AFCON and World Cup Again

What changed

Nigeria’s Golden Eaglets drew 1-1 with Côte d’Ivoire in Burkina Faso’s WAFU-B U-17 Championship and were eliminated. The result means Nigeria will not qualify through this competition for the 2027 U-17 Africa Cup of Nations and will again miss the FIFA U-17 World Cup.

Why it matters

For Nigeria’s under-17 team, this is more than one disappointing draw. The tournament route to the next continental championship is closed, and so is another chance to return to the global youth World Cup.

The word “again” carries the weight here. Nigeria’s absence from the FIFA U-17 World Cup is now extended, leaving the Golden Eaglets outside the competition once more. The result also makes the 1-1 scoreline consequential far beyond the final whistle: a single match has ended the team’s path to both tournaments.