Nigeria thrash New Caledonia 10-1, reach U-20 World Cup knockouts

Nigeria's women's national football team, known as the Falconets, secured their spot in the Round of 16 for the 2026 FIFA U-20 Women's World Cup after a dominant 10-1 victory over New Caledonia in Poland. This impressive win propelled Nigeria to second place in Group F, behind Spain, and into the next round. Nigeria's Ramotalahi Kareem and substitute Winner David both scored hat-tricks, while Rebecca Adegbemile netted two goals and Seimeyeha Akekoromowei and Tosin Rafiu added one each.

Kareem opened the scoring from the penalty spot in the 17th minute, and Adegbemile doubled the lead two minutes later. Akekoromowei made it 3-0 in the 23rd minute, and Kareem added her second in the 27th minute, giving Nigeria a 4-0 halftime lead. David scored in the 60th minute, followed by Kareem's hat-trick in the 63rd minute.

Rafiu added Nigeria's seventh in the 70th minute, and Adegbemile scored her second seven minutes later. New Caledonia managed a consolation goal in the 89th minute through Joceline Kourevi. The victory leaves Nigeria with four points from three matches, ahead of China, who also finished with four points after losing 3-1 to Spain. However, Nigeria advanced ahead of China due to a superior goal difference.