Nigeria’s Golden Eaglets have failed to qualify for the 2027 U-17 Africa Cup of Nations and FIFA U-17 World Cup following a 1-1 draw against Ivory Coast at the WAFU-B U-17 Championship in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso, on Saturday.
The result left Nigeria bottom of Group B with just one point from two matches, ending their hopes of progressing in the regional tournament and securing qualification for next year’s continental competition.
The five-time world champions needed a victory against Ivory Coast to revive their campaign after suffering a 2-1 defeat to Niger Republic in their opening fixture on Wednesday.
However, the Nigerian youngsters fell behind in the 16th minute when Alex Fousseni found the net for Ivory Coast, putting additional pressure on head coach Eboboritse Uwejamomere’s side.
The Golden Eaglets battled to get back into the contest and eventually drew level in the 84th minute through Abiodun John.
Despite the late equaliser, Nigeria could not find a winning goal before the final whistle, leaving them with no chance of advancing from their group.
Niger Republic finished top of Group B with four points, while Ivory Coast secured second place with two points.
Nigeria’s failure to progress means they will miss the U-17 AFCON for the third consecutive edition.
The team also failed to qualify for the 2025 and 2026 tournaments, both hosted by Morocco, which will stage the 2027 edition as well.
The setback also confirms the Golden Eaglets’ absence from the FIFA U-17 World Cup for a fourth successive edition.
Nigeria last featured at the global tournament in 2019.
The latest disappointment marks another difficult period for the Nigerian youth team, which has traditionally been one of the country’s strongest sides at age-grade international competitions.
