Nigeria lose to Spain in their opening match at the 2026 FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup

The Falconets were shut out by the Spanish side at the Arena Sosnowiec.

Nigeria’s U-20 women’s team got off to a poor start in Group F at the FIFA Women’s World Cup taking place in Poland. The Spanish side dominated the Nigerians, who were unable to score a single goal.

Spain took the lead in the first half. Garcia opened the scoring in the 13th minute to make it 1-0. The two teams went into the break with the score still at 1-0.

But nothing changed for Nigeria in the second half. The Spanish side continued to dominate, scoring a second goal. Izquierdo doubled Spain’s lead in the 72nd minute, taking the score to 2–0.

The Falconets were unable to mount a response until the final whistle. They thus lost their opening match in Group F.

This is the third defeat for the African teams in the competition. Tanzania had been beaten 4–1 by Brazil, Ghana lost 3–0 to Ecuador, and Nigeria suffered a 2–0 defeat on 7 September. Only Benin managed to secure a 2–2 draw against Mexico.