Nigeria's Golden Eaglets have been drawn against Côte d'Ivoire and Niger Republic in Group B of the 2026 WAFU B U-17 Championship, with a place in the semi-finals at stake.
The draw was conducted Thursday at the Stade du 4-Août in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso, which will host the tournament from October 10 to 23. Hosts Burkina Faso were placed in Group A alongside Ghana, Benin Republic and Togo. With three teams in Nigeria's group, the top two finishers advance to the semi-finals, meaning every group match carries weight for the Eaglets, who have lost to both Côte d'Ivoire and Niger in previous meetings.
The competition doubles as the WAFU Zone B qualifying tournament for the 2027 Africa U-17 Cup of Nations. The Golden Eaglets, five-time FIFA U-17 World Cup champions, have missed the last two editions of the continental U-17 tournament and will be looking to end that drought under head coach Eboboritse Uwejamomere. The squad has continued preparations in Abuja, recently beating Simoiben Academy 4-0 and drawing 0-0 with Galadima FC in warm-up matches.
