By Zuleihat Owuiye, Nigeria

Nigeria’s Golden Eaglets have failed to qualify for both the 2027 U-17 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) and the FIFA U-17 World Cup after being eliminated from the 2026 WAFU-B U-17 Championship in Burkina Faso.

The Nigerian side’s hopes ended on Saturday following a 1-1 draw against Ivory Coast in their second Group B match at the Stade du 4 Août in Ouagadougou.

The result left Nigeria at the bottom of the group with just one point from two matches, making it impossible for the five-time FIFA U-17 World Cup champions to advance in the competition.

The Golden Eaglets entered the encounter needing a victory to keep their qualification hopes alive after suffering a 2-1 defeat to Niger Republic in their opening match on Wednesday.

However, Nigeria struggled to secure the crucial three points, with their opponents taking the lead early in the contest.

Ivory Coast went ahead in the 16th minute through Alex Fousseni, putting pressure on head coach Eboboritse Uwejamomere and his players to respond.

The Nigerian youngsters continued to search for an equaliser as the match progressed, determined to avoid an early exit from the tournament.

Their efforts eventually paid off in the 84th minute when Abiodun John found the back of the net to restore parity and give the team renewed hope.

Despite the late equaliser, the Golden Eaglets were unable to score the winning goal needed to keep their campaign alive, settling for a draw that confirmed their elimination.

Niger Republic finished top of Group B with four points, while Ivory Coast occupied second place with two points.

The latest setback means Nigeria 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.

Morocco is scheduled to host the 2027 edition of the continental competition, but the Golden Eaglets will not be part of the tournament following their disappointing performance in the WAFU-B qualifiers.

Their failure to progress also rules them out of the 2027 FIFA U-17 World Cup, extending Nigeria’s absence from the global competition to four consecutive editions.

The Golden Eaglets last participated in the FIFA U-17 World Cup in 2019. Since then, the team has struggled to return to the tournament despite Nigeria’s impressive history at the youth level.

Nigeria remain one of the most successful nations in the history of the FIFA U-17 World Cup, having won the competition five times. However, their recent qualification struggles have raised concerns about the team’s ability to maintain its traditional strength in youth football.

The latest elimination represents another disappointment for Nigerian football, with the Golden Eaglets now facing the task of rebuilding ahead of future qualifying campaigns.

For now, their hopes of competing at both the 2027 U-17 AFCON and the FIFA U-17 World Cup have ended following a campaign that produced one defeat and one draw in Group B.