Nigeria’s Flying Eagles will face Burkina Faso’s Young Stallions in the final of the WAFU B U20 Championship on Sunday, with the regional title and a place at next year’s Africa U20 Cup of Nations at stake, Trybal News reports.
The encounter in Yamoussoukro presents Nigeria with an opportunity to defend the title they won in Lomé in October 2024, while also securing the second qualification ticket allocated to the WAFU B zone for the continental tournament.
Hosts Ghana have already secured their place at the Africa U20 Cup of Nations as the host nation, leaving Nigeria and Burkina Faso to battle for the remaining qualification spot.
The final comes with added significance for the Flying Eagles, who suffered a 2-0 defeat to Burkina Faso in the group stage earlier in the tournament. That result remains the only setback for Nigeria against the Young Stallions in the current competition.
Sunday’s clash will be the first time the two sides meet in a WAFU B U20 final. Their previous encounters have all come during the group stage, with Burkina Faso holding the recent advantage.
The Young Stallions defeated Nigeria 1-0 at the 2024 edition in Lomé, while their 2022 meeting in Niger Republic ended in a 2-2 draw.
Flying Eagles head coach Abdu Maikaba believes the earlier group-stage defeat has given his team valuable insight into Burkina Faso ahead of the final.
I think this is an opportunity for us to redeem ourselves having lost to Burkina Faso in the group stage. Having played them before, we now have an idea of their shape and structure and we are working on how to capitalize on their weaknesses, while also consolidating on our own strength.”
With the stakes significantly higher on Sunday, Nigeria will be hoping to produce a different result against the Young Stallions and secure both the WAFU B crown and qualification for the continental finals.
The final will be played at the Stade Charles Konan Banny in Yamoussoukro, with kick-off scheduled for 7:00pm.
