Senegal can’t stop our World Cup ambition — Falconets Captain, Joy Igbokwe

Falconets captain, Joy Igbokwe has expressed strong confidence ahead of Nigeria’s crucial encounter with Senegal in the 2026 FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup qualifiers.

Nigeria will host Senegal in the first leg of the third qualifying round at the Moshood Abiola Sports Arena in Abeokuta on Saturday, February 7.

Igbokwe said the Falconets are fully focused on securing another appearance at the World Cup, noting that the team’s long-standing consistency on the global stage fuels their determination to reach Poland 2026.

“Our ambition is to qualify for the World Cup again, and I don’t see Senegal stopping us, even though we are not underestimating them,” Igbokwe told Completesports.com.

She stressed that the team has invested significant effort to reach this stage and is unwilling to let that work go to waste.

“We have worked very hard to get here, and we can’t afford to lose focus now. It’s also important that we don’t disappoint our fans, who have shown us so much belief and support,” she added.

The Falconets captain also called on supporters to turn out in large numbers and rally behind the team, as they have done in previous matches.

Nigeria advanced to this round after recording a dominant 4-0 aggregate victory over Rwanda, while Senegal booked their place by edging past Algeria.

The team that emerges victorious on aggregate will progress to the final qualifying round, where either Guinea-Bissau or Malawi will stand between them and a place at the Poland 2026 FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup.