A vibrant reception greeted Nigeria’s U20 women’s team, the Falconets, as they arrived in Bogota, Colombia, on Sunday evening for the FIFA U20 Women’s World Cup.
The two-time silver medalists were welcomed by colorful traditional dancers, flag-waving fans, and members of the Local Organizing Committee. Despite their exhaustion after a 13-hour flight from Istanbul, Turkey, the Falconets were captivated by the festive atmosphere at El Dorado International Airport and expressed their gratitude to the enthusiastic crowd.
On Monday, the team engaged in a light training session to shake off their jet lag. They are set to intensify their preparations on Tuesday as they aim for a strong challenge to win the trophy. Speaking to local journalists at the Bogota airport, Head coach, Christopher Musa Danjuma emphasized the team’s determination to go all the way this time. He noted the Falconets’ impressive history in the tournament, with two final appearances, a semi-final, and several quarter-final berths in the competition’s 22-year history.
“We have the mandate and support of the Government and people of Nigeria to come here and give it our best fight. Our Sports Minister reminded us of Nigeria’s second-place finishes in 2010 and 2014, and our semi-final appearance in 2012. He charged us to return with the trophy this time, and that is our objective,” said Danjuma.
The Falconets’ final phase of preparation for the 23-day championship will include challenging matches against Australia and Mexico. They will face the Australians on Friday, August 23rd and then take on Mexico three days later.
Mexico will be making their 10th appearance in the FIFA U20 Women’s World Cup, having missed only one previous edition. Nigeria, on the other hand, is one of only four countries (alongside the USA, Brazil, and Germany) to have participated in every tournament since its inception as a U19 event in Canada in 2002.
This year’s competition has expanded to include 24 nations, with nearly half of the finalists making their debut. The debutant teams include Austria, Chile, Chinese Taipei, Denmark, Fiji, Haiti, Papua New Guinea, Poland, Thailand, Cameroon, and Morocco.
