Nigeria drawn against Niger, Togo, B’Faso as U-20 championship begins May 20

• Argentina replaces Indonesia as U-20 World Cup hosts
Nigeria’s U-20 Girls National Team, the Falconets, have been drawn against Niger Republic, Togo and Burkina Faso in the WAFU B Girls Cup of Nations, which will run from May 20 to June 4, 2023, in Kumasi, Ghana.

The draw for the maiden edition of the WAFU B U-20 Girl’s Championship was held at WAFU B headquarters in Abidjan, Cote d’Ivoire, yesterday, with hosts, Ghana, paired in Group A alongside Benin and Cote D’Ivoire.

The WAFU B Girls Championship is a qualifying tournament for the African U-20 Women’s World Cup qualification, an association football tournament held every two years, and serves as a qualifying tournament for the FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup.

In the Boys’ competition, Nigeria’s Flying Eagles will face Benin and Togo in Group B of the competition, while Ghana’s Black Satellites were also drawn to play hosts Cote d’Ivoire.

According to Confederation of African Football (CAF), the draw, supervised by WAFU B Executive Director, Boureima Balima, paves the way for this year’s competitions in the region to get underway after last month’s training for match officials.

The prestigious WAFU B Girls U-20 Championship will see teams from seven member countries vying for regional glory with Ghana hosting this prestigious championship in the bustling city of Kumasi.

The tournament format entails three teams in Group A, with each team playing two matches before advancing to the knockout stages.
The top two teams from each group will then secure their place in the highly anticipated semifinals.

Hosts, Ghana, will be keen on capitalising on their home advantage and showcasing their talent against formidable opponents in Benin and Cote d’Ivoire.

On the other hand, Benin and Cote d’Ivoire are determined to challenge the favorites and leave their mark on the tournament.

In Group B, Nigeria, a renowned football powerhouse in Africa, is poised to be the team to watch.
With a storied footballing history and a formidable squad, Nigeria will be resolute in their pursuit of asserting dominance and lifting the coveted trophy.

However, Niger, Burkina Faso, and Togo are not to be taken lightly, as they are determined to cause upsets and create their own success stories.

The format of the boys’ tournament will see the top two teams from each group advancing to the semifinals.

The tournament, which is set to hold from July to July 21, 2023, will see teams from seven member countries compete for regional glory.

Meanwhile, FIFA has confirmed Argentina as new hosts for the 2023 U-20 World Cup, in place of Indonesia.

FIFA said the decision follows the removal of the original tournament host, Indonesia, as well as a subsequent bid submitted by the Argentinian Football Association (AFA) and an on-site inspection by a FIFA delegation to the South American country last week.

The delegation members visited the proposed tournament venues and associated infrastructure. The hosting agreement has been signed by the AFA, along with all other relevant documents on the part of the host and local authorities.

The FIFA U-20 World Cup will hold from May 20 to June 11, 2023 and will feature six groups of four teams. Having been awarded the hosting rights to the tournament, Argentina will compete in the event in place of Indonesia. Argentina is the most successful nation in the history of the FIFA U-20 World Cup, having won the tournament six times, most recently in 2007. The country also hosted the competition in 2001.