Women's youth teams step up World Cup qualifying preparations
Nigeria‘s two women’s youth national teams are in full preparation mode for their respective FIFA World Cup qualifying campaigns, with the Falconets intensifying training in Ogun State and the Flamingos
Nigeria's two women's youth national teams are in full preparation mode for their respective FIFA World Cup qualifying campaigns, with the Falconets intensifying training in Ogun State and the Flamingos receiving a morale boost from a former international.
The Falconets, Nigeria's U-20 women's side, have relocated from Abuja to Ijebu-Ode following three weeks of intensive camping and will conduct training sessions at the Remo Stars Stadium in nearby Ikenne-Remo as they fine-tune preparations for their first leg qualifier against Malawi, scheduled for Saturday, 2 May.
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Team morale is reported to be high, with players showing strong determination and cohesion ahead of the fixture. The Falconets are targeting a commanding first-leg performance to secure a competitive advantage going into the return leg in Malawi on 9 May, with a place at the FIFA U-20 Women's World Cup — to be hosted by Poland from 5 to 26 September — at stake.
Meanwhile, the Flamingos, Nigeria's U-17 women's side, received a timely lift on Monday when former international Precious Dede visited the team's training camp and donated training materials to the squad. Dede, now serving as WAFU-B's Football Development Manager, also offered words of encouragement to the players and their coach, Akeem Busari.
The Flamingos face Guinea in Conakry on 9 May in the penultimate round of qualifying for the FIFA U-17 Women's World Cup, before hosting the return leg in Nigeria on 23 May. The tournament is scheduled to be held in Morocco from 17 October to 7 November.
