According to a report by Flashscore on Saturday, October 17, 2026, Nigeria’s Golden Eaglets have been eliminated from the 2026 WAFU-B U-17 Championship after playing out a 1-1 draw against hosts Côte d’Ivoire, ending their hopes of qualifying for the 2027 U-17 Africa Cup of Nations.

The five-time FIFA U-17 World Cup champions needed a victory to keep their qualification hopes alive but were unable to complete a comeback despite scoring a late equaliser in the Group B encounter.

Côte d’Ivoire took the lead in the 17th minute through Alex Bamba, who put the hosts ahead and left Nigeria facing an uphill battle.

The Golden Eaglets had started the match with attacking intent and nearly broke the deadlock in the ninth minute when Godswill Usoro came close to scoring. However, his effort narrowly missed the target, denying Nigeria an early advantage.

Nigeria continued to search for an equaliser but struggled to convert their chances. Their difficulties in front of goal were evident again in the 38th minute when Mubarak Fasiu missed a clear opportunity to restore parity.

The miss proved costly as the Golden Eaglets went into the half-time break trailing 1-0, leaving themselves with work to do after the restart.

Nigeria resumed the second half determined to get back into the game, knowing that another goal was needed to improve their chances of progressing in the competition.

The young Nigerians continued pushing forward as the match approached its closing stages, eventually finding the breakthrough in the 85th minute. Columbus scored to make it 1-1, giving the Golden Eaglets renewed hope of completing a comeback.

However, Nigeria could not take advantage of their late momentum. Abiodun John missed a golden opportunity in the 89th minute to put the Eaglets ahead, leaving the score level despite their late pressure.

The final whistle confirmed a disappointing outcome for Nigeria, whose draw against the hosts was insufficient to keep their qualification hopes alive.

The elimination means the Golden Eaglets will miss the 2027 U-17 Africa Cup of Nations and the 2027 FIFA U-17 World Cup, with the continental tournament serving as the qualifying pathway to the global competition.

Nigeria’s latest setback adds to a difficult period for the country’s youth football programme, as the team continues to struggle to secure consistent qualification for major international tournaments despite its historic success at U-17 level.