Nigeria’s hopes of returning to the FIFA U-17 World Cup face another major threat as the Golden Eaglets prepare for a must-win encounter against Côte d’Ivoire this Saturday at the WAFU-B U-17 Championship in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso.

Head coach Eboboritse Uwejamomere has expressed confidence that his team can recover from their 1-2 defeat to Niger Republic, but another failure to progress would deepen concerns over Nigeria’s declining fortunes at the age-grade level.

Nigeria, five-time FIFA U-17 World Cup champions, have qualified for the global tournament only once since their historic triumph in Chile in 2015, when a squad inspired by Victor Osimhen secured a record fifth title.

The Golden Eaglets missed the 2017, 2023 and 2025 editions, while their struggle to reach the main qualifying competition through the Africa U-17 Cup of Nations has raised further questions about the state of the country’s youth football development.

Speaking at a press conference at Stade du 4 Août on Friday, Uwejamomere urged his players to remain composed and believe they could overcome the setback against Niger.

“We had a setback in the game against Niger Republic, but we are in great spirits to overcome it as we play Côte d’Ivoire on Saturday,” he said.

The coach acknowledged the pressure surrounding the encounter but insisted that his technical crew had studied the Ivorians and identified their strengths and weaknesses.

“There is just a little bit of pressure because it is a must-win game for Nigeria. So, we have to keep the players composed and believing in themselves, knowing that we can get the result we need,” he said.

“The Ivorians are a very good side. They can fight, but we also have to fight and show them how much we want the victory. We know what we have to do to beat them. I’m confident.”

Uwejamomere also drew encouragement from previous WAFU-B U-17 campaigns, recalling that Nigeria lost their opening matches at the 2018 and 2021 editions but recovered to secure qualification to the U17 WAFCON.

However, the current situation leaves little room for another slip. Nigeria’s defeat to Niger on Wednesday means they must beat Côte d’Ivoire to keep their hopes alive, while the Ivorians enter the contest with one point after drawing their own match against Niger.

For the Golden Eaglets, the stakes extend beyond a single regional fixture. Nigeria’s record at the FIFA U-17 World Cup was built on repeated success, including titles in 1985, 1993, 2007, 2013 and 2015. Yet their inability to qualify consistently in recent years contrasts sharply with that history.

The immediate challenge is to turn Uwejamomere’s confidence into a decisive performance against Côte d’Ivoire. Failure would further expose the difficulties facing a team once regarded as one of the world’s most formidable forces in youth football.

With qualification ambitions under pressure, Saturday’s encounter represents a critical test of the Golden Eaglets’ resilience—and of Nigeria’s ability to revive a pathway that has historically supplied talent to the senior national team.

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