Golden Eaglets coach Manu Garba has faulted CAF’s decision to give WAFU B only two U-17 AFCON slots.
He called it unfair after Nigeria’s semi-final loss to Ghana ended their qualification hopes.
Golden Eaglets head coach Manu Garba has criticized the Confederation of African Football (CAF) over the decision to allow only two teams from the WAFU B zone to qualify for the U-17 Africa Cup of Nations.
Nigeria missed out on the 2026 U-17 AFCON after losing 2-0 to Ghana in the semi-final of the WAFU B tournament held in Ivory Coast on Tuesday. The defeat also means the Eaglets will not feature in the 2026 FIFA U-17 World Cup, which has now become an annual competition.
This is the second time in a row that Nigeria has failed to reach the tournament. The Eaglets also missed the 2025 edition after falling short in the 2024 qualifiers.
Speaking after the defeat, Garba, who led Nigeria to the FIFA U-17 World Cup title in 2013, described the allocation as unfair. “WAFU B is the strongest zone in Africa, yet we are given just two slots. In youth football, we should get at least three,” he said.
Nigeria remains the most successful nation in U-17 football, winning the World Cup five times in 1985, 1993, 2007, 2013, and 2015. However, the team last played in the tournament in 2019, where they exited in the round of 16 against the Netherlands.
For the 2026 U-17 AFCON, Ghana and Ivory Coast will represent WAFU B. CAF’s current slot distribution gives WAFU A three slots, North Africa three, Central Africa two, Central East three, and the South Zone three, making up the 16 teams for the continental finals. From there, Africa will present 10 teams to the expanded 48-team FIFA U-17 World Cup.
