Falconets secure final round, first leg victory over Malawi in U-20 WWC qualifying

Nigeria’s Falconets kicked off the final lap of their 2026 FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup qualifying campaign with a 2-0 first leg victory over Malawi from the final round at the Remo Stars Stadium in Ikenne.

FT in Ikenne

Nigeria 🇳🇬 2-0 Malawi 🇲🇼

The Falconets win the first leg of the @FIFAWWC U20 qualifier with two second-half goals.

A Malawi own goal by 🇲🇼Maureen Kenneth and a well taken goal by 🇳🇬Kindness Ifeanyi nicks the day for the Falconets. #SoarFalconets pic.twitter.com/LDjdylpjwY

— NGSuper_Falcons (@NGSuper_Falcons) May 2, 2026

​The match, played on Saturday, saw Nigeria take charge from the start as they aimed to protect their perfect qualification record for the global tournament. Despite their dominance, the first half ended in a stalemate.

​The breakthrough came in the second half when the two-time World Cup runners-up broke the deadlock in the 46th minute via an own goal from Maureen Kenneth, who misjudged a cross.

The lead was doubled for coach Moses Aduku’s side in the 57th minute through Kindness Ifeanyi, whose header sealed a solid advantage heading into the return fixture.

​This victory sees Nigeria travel to the Bingu National Stadium in Lilongwe next Saturday to face a Malawi side that previously turned a 1-1 away draw against Guinea-Bissau into a 5-1 home victory to book their spot in this final qualifying round.