Exclusive interview: Moses Aduku targets 2026 FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup qualification for Nigeria

The head coach of Nigeria’s women’s under-20 national team, Moses Aduku, has stated that the Falconets are targeting a qualification slot for the 2026 FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup in Poland.

​Aduku said this while speaking exclusively with Pan-Africa Football on Wednesday, as the Falconets’ camp in Abuja welcomed 17 players ahead of their clash against Senegal.

While addressing the mood in camp which opened on Monday, the gaffer made it clear that the target is to be one of Africa’s representative in Poland, noting that more players are expected to arrive in the coming days.

“The target, first and foremost, is to qualify for the World Cup.Then, focus on how we can win the World Cup.

We are happy to be back and to start preparation for the World Cup qualifier against Senegal. We have 17 players in camp. By tomorrow, we are expecting everybody to be in camp. Some took excuses from their club, they want to play the first league game for the new year, so, we are expecting them tomorrow.

By tomorrow, the camp will be filled up and we start proper preparation. So far, so good the girls are bubbling. They came back with high spirits and we are on. ”

He also added that with the support provided by the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF), the team aims to build on their 2025 Continental successes to make the nation proud.

“We are building up from where we stopped. We came back from WAFU B as the champion, but we are not looking at that, we won Rwanda, we are not looking at that. All these are past.

So, from there, we are building up from there.most of the players that went to WAFU B are among the players that are back to the camp. So, with the time from the NFF gave to us to prepare, I believe, by God’s grace, we will make the nation proud.”

Since the tournament’s inception in 2002, Nigeria has never missed an edition of the FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup. This makes them one of the few countries to participate in every edition, with their best finishes being runners-up in 2010 and 2014.

​The full list of 24 participating countries for the World Cup—scheduled for September 5–27, 2026—is yet to be confirmed as qualifiers are ongoing. However, host nation Poland, along with Spain, England, France, Italy, Portugal, the USA, Mexico, Canada, Costa Rica, New Zealand, and New Caledonia, have already secured their spots.

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