Nigeria’s U-17 men’s national team, the Golden Eaglets, have crashed out of the 2026 WAFU-B U-17 Championship after playing a 1–1 draw against Côte d’Ivoire in their final Group B encounter.

The result ended Nigeria’s hopes of qualifying for the 2027 U-17 Africa Cup of Nations and the FIFA U-17 World Cup in Qatar.

The Golden Eaglets went into the encounter needing a victory to revive their qualification chances after losing 2–1 to Niger Republic in their opening match.

Côte d’Ivoire took the lead in the 17th minute through Alex Bamba, who capitalised on a defensive lapse to put his team ahead.

Nigeria struggled to break down the Ivorian defence in the first half but increased the pressure after the restart in search of an equaliser.

Their efforts yielded results in the 85th minute when substitute Columbus Igboenyobe found the net to restore parity and give Nigeria renewed hope.

However, the Golden Eaglets could not secure the winning goal despite their late push, as the match ended in a draw.

The outcome left Nigeria at the bottom of Group B with one point from two matches, while Niger Republic topped the group with four points and Côte d’Ivoire progressed to the semi-finals.

The early exit represents another setback for Nigerian youth football, with the Golden Eaglets missing out on the continental tournament and the opportunity to compete for a place at the global competition.

Nigeria, a five-time FIFA U-17 World Cup champion, will now need to review its youth development programme and address concerns about the team’s preparation, defensive organisation and goal-scoring ability ahead of future competitions.