Nigeria’s Flying Eagles will renew one of African football’s fiercest youth rivalries after being drawn alongside Ghana, Burkina Faso and Togo in Group B of the 2026 WAFU B U20 Championship.
The draw, conducted on Wednesday, handed the seven time African champions one of the competition’s toughest groups as they begin another quest for qualification to the 2027 TotalEnergies U20 Africa Cup of Nations.
The regional tournament serves as the official qualifying competition for the continental championship, with every match carrying significant importance for the participating nations.
Hosts and defending champions Côte d’Ivoire headline Group A alongside Niger and Benin Republic, while Nigeria were seeded into Group B after emerging as the highest ranked team outside the defending champions based on their performances at the previous edition.
The headline fixture is another meeting with long-time rivals Ghana. The two countries have developed one of West Africa’s most compelling rivalries at youth level, producing several memorable encounters in recent editions of the tournament.
Burkina Faso also represent a formidable obstacle after consistently proving competitive in youth football across the continent, while Togo will hope to upset the established favourites in a tightly contested group where every point could prove decisive.
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Qualification carries even greater significance this year as the 2027 U20 AFCON will be staged in Ghana. The tournament will feature 12 teams from across Africa, with the four semi-finalists progressing to represent the continent at the FIFA U20 World Cup.
CAF awarded the hosting rights to Ghana as part of the country’s celebrations marking 70 years of independence. It will be the second time Ghana hosts the competition after lifting the title on home soil in 1999.
Despite the difficult draw, Nigeria enter the competition with one of the strongest records in WAFU B history.
The Flying Eagles reached the inaugural final in 2018 before suffering a group stage exit in 2020, but they responded by winning back-to-back regional titles in 2022 and 2024.
Nigeria defeated Ghana 2-0 during the group stage en route to lifting their maiden WAFU B crown in 2022 before successfully defending the title two years later with a 2-1 victory over the Black Satellites in the final, inspired by a first-half brace from Kparobo Arierhi.
The Flying Eagles narrowly missed out on a third consecutive title last year after progressing to the final, only to lose 1-0 to hosts Côte d’Ivoire through a dramatic stoppage time goal.
Now under the guidance of veteran coach Abdul Maikaba, Nigeria will be aiming to return to the summit of West African youth football while securing another place at the U20 AFCON.
2026 WAFU B U20 Championship Draw
Group A
- Côte d’Ivoire
- Niger
- Benin Republic
Group B
- Nigeria
- Ghana
- Burkina Faso
- Togo
