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By JOE APU
The Confederation of African Football (CAF) has approved a request from the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) to change the venue of the 2026 FIFA U20 Women’s World Cup third-round, first-leg qualifying match between Nigeria and Senegal, originally scheduled for Saturday, 7 February 2026.
NFF’s Director of Competitions, Ruth David, confirmed that the match will now take place at the MKO Abiola Sports Complex in Abeokuta, the capital of Ogun State.
David explained that the decision followed concerns over the deteriorating condition of the pitch at Lekan Salami Stadium in Ibadan, which had previously hosted the Falconets’ second-round, second-leg match against Rwanda U20 girls in September 2025.
“The venue change is necessary to ensure the players compete on a safe and suitable surface,” David stated. “The Falconets, who had been training in Ibadan, are expected to relocate to Abeokuta in the coming days to familiarize themselves with the MKO Abiola Sports Complex pitch.”
The two-time FIFA World Cup silver-medallists qualified for this round after defeating Rwanda 5-0 on aggregate. The winner of the Nigeria-Senegal clash will advance to the final round of the African series, where they will face the victor of the Guinea-Bissau vs Malawi fixture for a spot at the 2026 FIFA U20 Women’s World Cup, scheduled to take place from 5 to 27 September in Poland.
