Rwanda’s U-20 women’s national team suffered a narrow 1-0 defeat to Nigeria in the first leg of their FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup qualifier, played on Sunday at the Kigali Pele Stadium.
After a tightly contested first half that ended goalless, Nigeria found the breakthrough in the second half. The visitors had dominated much of the play and nearly took the lead in the 42nd minute when Faridat Abdulwahab’s long pass released Precious Oscar, but the chance went begging.
Ultimately, Nigeria capitalized on its dominance to secure a slim advantage heading into the return leg.
The second leg is scheduled to take place at the Lekan Salami Stadium in Ibadan, Nigeria, on Saturday, 27 September.
Rwanda will be hoping to overturn the deficit and keep their qualification hopes alive.
Both teams are vying for one of Africa’s four spots at the 24-team FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup, which will be held in Poland from 5–27 September 2026.
