Nigeria's Falconets are through to the quarter-finals of the 2026 FIFA U-20 Women's World Cup after beating England 3–0 in Bielsko-Biała, Poland, on Thursday, 17 September. The result ended England's campaign and set up a last-eight meeting with Colombia on Sunday, 20 September.
Tosin Rafiu gave Nigeria the start they wanted in the eighth minute. She won possession high on the left, drove into the penalty area and finished from a narrow angle past goalkeeper Katie Cox. The early goal rewarded Nigeria's pressure but did not make the first half comfortable.
Uzoma turns away England's best route back
England created several openings and were awarded a penalty after a video review found that Rebecca Adegbemile had fouled Princess Ademiluyi. Christiana Uzoma pushed Rachel Maltby's spot kick on to the crossbar and made further saves as England tried to level before the interval. Nigeria went into half-time 1–0 ahead.
The Falconets widened the gap two minutes after the restart. England failed to clear a corner and Janet Akekoromowei struck left-footed to make it 2–0 in the 47th minute. The goal forced England to chase the game while leaving space for Nigeria's direct counterattacks.
Coach Moses Aduku introduced Mary Mamudu for Ramotalahi Kareem in the 61st minute, and the substitute completed the scoring in the 73rd. The official England report said Akekoromowei won the ball from a throw-in and squared for Mamudu; the Nigeria Football Federation report credited Precious Oscar with the assist. The confirmed outcome is Mamudu's goal and a 3–0 final score.
From a difficult group start to the last eight
Nigeria's route to the knockout rounds had been uneven. The Falconets lost 2–0 to Spain, drew 0–0 with China PR and then overwhelmed New Caledonia 10–1 to finish second in Group F. The England victory was therefore their first win of this tournament against an established European opponent and their second consecutive match with at least three goals.
The performance also showed more than attacking power. Uzoma's penalty stop and first-half saves prevented England from converting its strongest spell into an equaliser, while Nigeria's defence protected a clean sheet after the break. FIFA named Akekoromowei the player of the match, but the result rested on contributions across the pitch.
Colombia became Nigeria's quarter-final opponent after defeating hosts Poland 1–0 in the final round-of-16 match. FIFA lists the tie for Sunday, 20 September, at Stadion Miejski ŁKS in Łódź. Supporters should consult FIFA's live match centre for the final local kick-off display because early federation and media listings published different times.
Colombia are next in Łódź
Nigeria have reached the final of this competition twice, finishing runners-up in 2010 and 2014, but have never won the trophy. Reaching the last eight again confirms the country's record of sustained participation at U-20 level; it does not by itself settle how many players will make a successful transition to the senior national team.
That transition is part of why this run matters. FIFA framed the Falconets' progress as a source of optimism after Nigeria missed qualification for the 2027 senior Women's World Cup. A quarter-final against Colombia offers another high-pressure test of players who may later compete for senior places, while the immediate task remains narrower: win in Łódź and reach the semi-finals in Poland.
