U20 Women’s World Cup: Africa’s hopes rest on Nigeria’s shoulders
Following Cameroon’s exit, after their 3-1 defeat at the hands of Brazil in the round of 16 matches, Nigeria are now the only African side left in the ongoing U20 Women’s World Cup.
The tournament began with four strong African representatives: Ghana, Nigeria, Cameroon, and Morocco however, after the first knockout round of the competitions, three of them have suffered elimination leaving Nigeria as Africa’s only hope ahead of the quarter-finals.
Nigeria and Cameroon managed to advance beyond the group stage, while Ghana and Morocco unfortunately didn’t make the cut and had their early shower as they were eliminated from the group stage level.
Accessing the four team’s performance at the tournament
Team Ghana
Ghana was the top African hopeful heading into the tournament, touted to advance far due to their exceptional showings at the continental level, which included claiming the WAFU Zone B title and gold at the 13th African Games earlier this year.
The West African side were also making their seventh appearance in the U20 Women’s World Cup campaign but were stunned in their opening game with a 2-1 defeat to the tournament’s debutant Austria.
The Black Princesses secured a third-place finish in Group F fetching just points out of nine, but unfortunately, it wasn’t enough to advance as one of the top third-place teams.
Since their debut in the 2010 edition, the Black Princesses have played 21 games in the competition, clinching just fie wins. They have also suffered 13 defeats with three draws.
Ghana have also failed to progress from the group stage despite the numerous opportuities.
Ghana’s U-20 Women’s World Cup record since 2018 shows only two wins, both of which were achieved against the same team, New Zealand.
Team Morocco
Another African country that had a disappointing tournament in the U20 Women’s World Cup was the North African giants, Morocco.
Morocco were drawn into a challenging Group C alongside three-time champions United States, Spain (the defending champions), and Paraguay, but faced a tough campaign, finishing at the bottom of the group without a single point.
Morocco alongside Australia, Fiji, and Costa Rica were the four teams who failed to score a single goal in the tournament. The North Africans were also among the five teams who filed to claim a single point.
Morocco was one of five teams that ended the group stage without a single point, joining Australia, Fiji, Costa Rica, and New Zealand in that distinction.
Despite a disappointing debut, Morocco will be eager to bounce back and make a stronger impression in their next tournament appearance.
Team Cameroon
Alongside Austria, Fiji, and Morocco, Cameroon were among the quartet of countries participating in the U-20 World Cup for the first time.
Cameroon shared Group C with host nation Colombia, Mexico, and Australia, ultimately securing third place with 4 points and advancing as one of the top third-place finishers.
They excelled as the second-best debutant overall and the top-performing African debutant in the tournament.
Cameroon together with Nigeria were the only two teams among the four from Africa to progress to the next round of the tournament and among the two debutants together with Austria to go past the group stage.
Although their tournament journey ended at the hands of Brazil, Cameroon’s performances in their inaugural season will leave a lasting impression.
Team Nigeria
Nigeria remains the sole African representative in the U20 World Cup tournament at the quarter-final stage.
Nigeria were pitted against three-time champions Germany, South Korea, and Venezuela in Group D, where they managed to secure six points out of a possible nine.
Nigeria emerged as the top-performing African team in the group stage, securing a spot in the round of 16 through a direct qualification route by finishing second in their group.
The team’s experience garnered from 11 appearances since 2002, has been instrumental in Nigeria’s strong showings in the competition.
The two-time runner-up (2010 and 2014), will face a stern test against 2018 champions Japan later tonight in the quarter-finals of U20 Women’s World Cup.
Can Nigeria sustain their impressive performance and overcome the formidable Japanese team? The outcome remains to be seen.
