Nigeria’s Golden Eaglets suffered a disappointing start to their 2026 WAFU B U-17 Championship campaign after losing 2-1 to Niger Republic in their opening Group B match in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso, on Wednesday.
The five-time world champions created an early opportunity in the 15th minute when Lawrence Abuchi’s effort was deflected away as Nigeria sought to take control of the contest.
Niger took the lead five minutes later through Abdoul Razaq Zada, leaving Nigeria trailing at half-time.
The Golden Eaglets attempted to respond before the break, with Columbus Igboenyobe testing the Nigerien goalkeeper in the 31st minute. However, his effort went straight into the goalkeeper’s hands.
Nigeria head coach Eboboritse Uwejamomere made a change at the start of the second half, introducing Faruq Azeez for Abuchi as the Eaglets searched for an equaliser.
Niger doubled their advantage in the 87th minute, leaving Nigeria with little time to recover.
The Golden Eaglets continued to push forward and pulled a goal back deep into stoppage time. Fasiu Mubarak scored in the fifth minute of added time to reduce the deficit to 2-1.
However, the late strike was not enough to prevent Nigeria from losing their opening fixture.
The Eaglets will now turn their attention to their second Group B match against Côte d’Ivoire on Friday, October 16, as they seek their first points of the tournament.
