Nigeria’s U-17 side, the Golden Eaglets, will lock horns with Ghana’s Black Starlets on Tuesday evening in the second semi-final of the WAFU-B U-17 Championship at Stade Charles Konan Banny, Yamoussoukro, Ivory Coast.
The fixture offers the Nigerians another shot at redemption, a year after missing out on the final of the same competition — a setback that denied them a place at the 2025 Africa U-17 Cup of Nations and, consequently, the expanded FIFA U-17 World Cup.
So far, the Golden Eaglets have impressed in Ivory Coast, finding the net four times and conceding only once on their way to topping Group B with four points. Under the guidance of coach Manu Garba, they began strongly with a 4-1 victory over Benin Republic before being held to a goalless draw by Burkina Faso.
Ghana, meanwhile, endured a rocky path to the last four. The Starlets opened Group A with a 1-1 draw against Togo, were heavily beaten 3-0 by hosts Ivory Coast, and needed two late goals to seal a 3-1 comeback win over Niger Republic that pushed them into the semi-finals.
History tilts slightly in Nigeria’s favour ahead of this contest. The Eaglets defeated Ghana 4-2 in the 2022 edition’s opening match in Cape Coast, and later repeated the feat with a 3-2 win in the bronze medal clash of the following edition in Accra.
Victory today would book Nigeria’s spot in the tournament final and, more importantly, guarantee qualification for the 2026 U-17 AFCON. The highly anticipated clash kicks off at 8 p.m. local time.
