By Akinwale Kasali
‘Group of Death’! That is where the nation’s Under-20 Female Team, the Falconets, has found itself at the 2022 FIFA Under-20 World Cup draw held in San Jose, Costa Rica.
The Coach Christopher Danjuma-tutored Falconets are In Group C, where it will play Female Football power- houses, France, Canada and South Korea.
Soccer analysts and female Football enthusiasts had predicted a difficult Group for the Falconets following the caliber of the 16 teams which qualified for the mundial with Nigeria and the Black Maidens of Ghana, the two which would hoist the Continent’s flag at the global showpiece.
Danjuma and Representatives of the Nigeria Football Federation at the draw ceremony that took place at the Teatro Nacional (National Theatre) in San José, the capital of Costa Rica were dumbfounded as the Falconets were grouped among top rated teams. But as expected, Danjuma has remained optimistic that the Falconets will spring a surprise and qualify from the Group.
The other Groups in the 16 Team tournaments are as follow:
Group A – Hosts Costa Rica, Australia, Spain and Brazil
Group B – Germany, Colombia, New Zealand and Mexico.
Group C – France, Nigeria, Canada and Korea Republic.
Group D – Japan, Netherlands, Ghana and the United States of America (USA).
It would be recalled that the likes of Desire Oparanozie and Asisat Oshoala were products of the Falconets having showcased their brilliance at the Junior World Cup Stage.
At the 2010 Under-20 World Cup held in Germany, Oparanozie took the world by storm, as the nation got to the final of the tournament, losing to Germany in the final.
At the 2014 edition in Canada, the Falconets led by a young Oshoala lost again to Germany in extra time.
The FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup returns in 2022 after the 2020 edition was canceled due to the Coronavirus pandemic.
The Falconets had a successful qualification campaign for the tournament scheduled to take place in Costa Rica from Friday, August 10 to Sunday, August 28, 2022.
