{"id":6940,"date":"2026-05-15T21:27:07","date_gmt":"2026-05-15T21:27:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/poland\/6940\/"},"modified":"2026-05-15T21:27:07","modified_gmt":"2026-05-15T21:27:07","slug":"poland-2026-falconets-drawn-against-spain-china-new-caledonia","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/poland\/6940\/","title":{"rendered":"Poland 2026: Falconets drawn against Spain, China, New Caledonia"},"content":{"rendered":"

Nigeria\u2019s U-20 women\u2019s national team, the Falconets, have been drawn in Group F alongside Spain, China and New Caledonia for the 2026 FIFA U-20 Women\u2019s World Cup in Poland.<\/p>\n

The official draw was held on Friday at the EC1 Cultural Centre in \u0141\u00f3d\u017a, Poland.<\/p>\n

The tournament is scheduled to take place from September 5 to September 27 across the Polish cities of \u0141\u00f3d\u017a, Katowice, Sosnowiec, and Bielsko-Bia\u0142a.<\/p>\n

The competition will feature 24 teams battling for honours in FIFA\u2019s flagship women\u2019s youth tournament.<\/p>\n

The draw ceremony was attended by women\u2019s football legends and dignitaries from the host nation, while fans across the world followed the event live on FIFA digital platforms.<\/p>\n

The full draw is as follows:<\/p>\n

Group A: Poland, Argentina, Mexico, Benin Republic.<\/p>\n

Group B: Brazil, Tanzania, Canada, England.<\/p>\n

Group C: France, Korea Republic, Ecuador, Ghana.<\/p>\n

Group D: Japan, New Zealand, USA, Italy.<\/p>\n

Group E: Korea DPR, Portugal, Costa Rica, Colombia.<\/p>\n

Group F: Spain, Nigeria, New Caledonia, China PR.<\/p>\n

According to FIFA, the qualified teams were divided into four pots based on rankings ahead of the draw.<\/p>\n

Pot 1 comprised Poland, Japan, Spain, Korea DPR, Brazil, and France, while Pot 2 included USA, Nigeria, Colombia, Mexico, Korea Republic, and England.<\/p>\n

Pot 3 featured Ghana, Canada, New Zealand, Argentina, China PR, and Costa Rica, while Pot 4 contained Italy, Portugal, Ecuador, Benin Republic, Tanzania, and New Caledonia.<\/p>\n

Africa\u2019s representatives at the tournament are Nigeria, Ghana, Tanzania, and Benin Republic.<\/p>\n

The Falconets face a difficult task in Group F, with Spain considered one of the favourites owing to their strong youth development system and recent success in women\u2019s football.<\/p>\n

China are also expected to pose a major challenge with their disciplined style and international experience, while New Caledonia will be making their debut appearance at the tournament.<\/p>\n

The Falconets are two-time runners-up in the history of the competition and will be hoping to improve on their Round of 16 finish at the 2024 edition.<\/p>\n

Nigeria qualified for the Poland 2026 tournament after defeating Malawi 3\u20132 on aggregate in the African qualifiers.<\/p>\n

The Falconets won the first leg 2\u20130 in Ikenne before losing 2\u20131 in the reverse fixture in Lilongwe, a result sufficient to secure qualification.<\/p>\n

The 2026 edition will feature six debutants \u2014 Poland, Portugal, New Caledonia, Ecuador, Tanzania, and Benin Republic.<\/p>\n

Germany, runners-up to Nigeria in the 2010 and 2014 finals, will miss the competition for the first time in the tournament\u2019s history.\u00a0<\/p>\n

(NAN)<\/p>\n


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