Flying Eagles suffer heavy defeat to Burkina Faso in WAFU B final
It was a sad day for Nigerian football on Sunday as the Flying Eagles suffered an embarrassing 4-1 defeat to Burkina Faso in the final of the 2026 WAFU Zone B U-20 Championship at the Stade Charles Konan Banny in the Ivory Coast.
This came just a few hours after the Super Falcons lost 1-0 to Cameroon to crash out of the 2026 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations.
It was a tough afternoon for the defending champions, who were undone by a blistering first-half display from the Young Stallions and could not recover despite a spirited second-half push.
Burkina Faso came out with clear intent and took full control inside the first 45 minutes, taking a deserved 3-0 lead going into the break as Nigeria struggled to cope with their pace and direct running.
The second half offered a brief lifeline for Nigeria.
Forward Muiz Adeleke found the net from the penalty spot to make it 3-1, briefly lifting the mood on the Nigerian bench.
Abdu Maikaba’s boys pressed higher and created a few chances, but the deficit and Burkina Faso’s compact shape made a comeback difficult.
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Burkina Faso sealed the win late on with a fourth goal, putting the result beyond doubt at 4-1.
It was the second time in the tournament that the Young Stallions had beaten the Flying Eagles, having also edged their group-stage meeting.
The group stage encounter ended 2-0 in favour of Burkina Faso.
The victory ensured Burkina Faso will join hosts Ghana as representatives of WAFU B zone at next year’s Africa U20 Cup of Nations.
On the other hand, Nigeria’s Flying Eagles have now missed out of the U-20 Nations Cup and the U-20 World Cup as a result of the defeat.
It would be recalled that Nigeria suffered a 4-0 defeat to Argentina to crash out of the 2025 U-20 World Cup in the second round.
