Nigeria’s Falconets will head into the knockout stage of the 2026 FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup with two players in contention for the Golden Boot, after Winner Onajite David and Ramotalahi Kareem each finished the group stage with three goals.
The Nigerian duo were among the beneficiaries of the Falconets’ emphatic 10-1 victory over New Caledonia, a result that secured their passage into the Round of 16 after a difficult start to the tournament.
David and Kareem are now part of a group of players sitting on three goals, leaving them within striking distance of the leading scorers as Nigeria prepares for a knockout meeting with England in Bielsko-Biała.
Argentina’s Annika Paz currently leads the scoring chart with five goals, while China’s Huang Jiaxin, England’s Rachel Maltby, North Korea’s Choe Yon-a, and Spain’s Pau Comendador and Celia Segura have four apiece.
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The three-goal group also includes Benin’s Romaine Gandonou, Canada’s Annabelle Chukwu, France’s Justine Rouquet, Poland’s Zuzanna Grzywińska, Spain’s Marísa García and United States duo Alex Buck and Kennedy Fuller.
The scoring figures shows how productive the tournament has been so far, with 149 goals recorded across the first 36 matches, an average of 4.14 goals per game.
Meanwhile the most important opportunity for David and Kareem is Nigeria’s survival in the competition. Unlike the group stage, where the Falconets struggled to find the net against Spain and China, the knockout rounds offer the pair a chance to build on the confidence generated by the New Caledonia performance.
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Nigeria will face England on Thursday with a place in the quarterfinals at stake, and another strong attacking display could bring the Falconets duo closer to the Golden Boot leaders.
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