FIFA Women’s U-20 World Cup: Falconets Begin Poland Preparations as Visa Issues Force Squad Changes

The Falconets of Nigeria arrived in Poland on Tuesday, August 25, for their U-20 FIFA Women’s World Cup campaign.

Despite the visa issues encountered by Team Captain Joy Igbokwe, Sandra John, and Faridat Abdulwahab, the team travelled to Poland to prepare for their

The two-time FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup silver-medallists held their first training session in Poland today ahead of their pre-tournament test friendlies against the hosts, Poland, and South Korea.
The training session was held at the Stadion Miejski Fair Play Arena in Trzebnica, Poland.
The session is focused on tactical organization, physical fitness, and team cohesion as they prepare for the global tournament.

The match against the tournament hosts, Poland, will be held on Friday, August 28, at the Municipal Stadium in Brzeg at 12 pm local time. The Falconets will later face South Korea on Tuesday, September 1, at the Remes Resort & Spa Football Stadium, with kick-off at 4 pm, in the final preparatory match.

The matches will provide opportunities for the players to acclimatise further to the conditions in Poland, test themselves against different styles of play, sharpen their tactical understanding and gain experience against quality opposition on the world stage.

It was officially revealed today through the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) website that the players who were unable to travel with the squad to Poland for the tournament have been replaced. Team Captain Joy Igbokwe and defender Faridat Abdulwahab, who failed to secure visas in time, have been dropped and replaced in the squad.

Igbokwe, the Nasarawa Amazons midfielder, has been replaced by Vivian Kachi and Abdulwahab has been replaced by Alaba Olabiyi in the 21-player travelling squad. Sandra John will also not be joining the squad in Poland.

Head Coach Moses Aduku and his technical crew have continued to demand maximum commitment from the players as the team fine-tunes its approach ahead of the tournament.

The Falconets will compete in a stacked Group F against Spain on Monday, September 7, and then China PR on Thursday, September 10. They will face New Caledonia in the final group stage match on Sunday, September 13.

Nigeria will be aiming to go a step further in Poland and secure the country’s first-ever FIFA U20 Women’s World Cup title.

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