Head coach of Nigeria U-20 women’s national team, Moses Aduku, has expressed confidence in his team’s readiness, saying Nigerians should expect a good game against Malawi in the first-round tie of the final qualifying phase for the FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup, www.aclsports.com reports.
The two-time FIFA World Cup silver medallists will face Malawi in the first leg at the Remo Stars Stadium, Ikenne, on Friday, before the return fixture in Lilongwe on 9 May, with a World Cup ticket at stake.
Nigeria’s preparations in Abuja have gone according to plan, with all 25 invited players fully involved in camp. Aduku praised the players’ attitude and confirmed there are no major injury concerns.
“We’ve been in camp for four weeks working on our tactics and fitness. The girls are good, no injury worries. All have trained from day one and their response has been very good,” he said.
Looking ahead to Malawi, Aduku said Nigerians should expect a good game, noting that his technical crew has studied the opposition closely.
“No two games are the same. We’ve watched them, seen their strengths and weaknesses, and worked on how to counter them. I believe what you are looking at will be different tomorrow.”
Falconets captain Joy Igbokwe also backed the team’s preparation, saying they are focused on delivering a strong performance.
“We’ve been training together and understanding each other. Tomorrow, we are going to make Nigerians proud. We will take the game seriously.”
On the other side, Malawi head coach Maggie Chombo acknowledged Nigeria’s pedigree but expressed belief in her team’s ability to compete.
“It will not be an easy game. Nigeria are a strong team and have history in women’s football. But we are expecting a good performance.”
Malawi captain Leticia Chinyamula also said her side is motivated for the challenge. She added that senior national team stars Temwa Chawinga and Tabitha Chawinga have been a source of motivation for the squad.
“The motivation is high. This will be our first time playing Nigeria, and we will give our best to produce a good result. They motivate us a lot and tell us we can do even better than them.”
Other fixtures include Cameroon against Tanzania, Ghana versus Uganda, and Côte d’Ivoire against Benin, with just four teams set to qualify for the FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup Poland 2026, scheduled for 5 to 27 September 2026.
