2026 FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup: Ikpeme demands goals as Falconets target last-16 place

Acting General Secretary of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF), Emmanuel Ikpeme, has called on the Falconets to beat New Caledonia convincingly and keep their hopes of reaching the Round of 16 alive at the 2026 FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup in Poland.

Nigeria will play their final Group Stage match on Sunday with only one point from their opening two games.

The Falconets began their campaign with a 2-0 defeat by Spain on Monday before being held to a goalless draw by China on Thursday. They must now produce a substantial victory against New Caledonia to improve their goal difference and strengthen their prospects of progressing to the knockout rounds.

Ikpeme spoke to the team by phone after the players completed their training session in ?odz on Saturday. He urged them to stay focused and approach the match with the determination required to achieve qualification.

“You have a great chance to qualify for the Round of 16 if you win and win well against New Caledonia,” Ikpeme told the players.

He said the fixture offered the squad an opportunity to demonstrate its quality, while stressing the importance of maintaining discipline and purpose throughout the game.

“It is a good opportunity for you to prove yourselves, but you must approach the match with clarity of purpose, focus and ambition,” he said.

The NFF official also praised the Falconets’ performance against China but pointed to their failure to convert their opportunities into goals.

“You had a good game against China, but you did not score. So, our country is still on one point,” Ikpeme said.

He made clear that goals would be central to Nigeria’s hopes of advancing from the group.

“Against New Caledonia, the goals are important. We need to get to four points and put ourselves in a strong position to reach the knockout rounds,” he added.

The Falconets therefore need to secure their first win of the tournament and finish the group stage with four points. A strong result would also give Nigeria a better goal difference after the defeat by Spain and the stalemate with China.