Colorful traditional dancers, flag-waving fans, and members of the Local Organizing Committee for the FIFA U20 Women’s World Cup Colombia 2024 greeted Nigeria’s Falconets with great enthusiasm upon their arrival in Bogotá on Sunday evening.
The two-time silver medallists landed at El Dorado International Airport after a 13-hour flight from Istanbul, Turkey, and were visibly touched by the vibrant welcome.
Following a light training session on Monday to recover from jet lag, the Nigeria U20 girls will intensify their preparations for the tournament.
Coach Christopher Musa Danjuma expressed to local journalists at the airport that the Falconets are determined to secure the trophy this time, building on their previous performances, which include two Final-Match appearances, one semi-final, and several quarter-final berths over the past 22 years.
“We have the mandate and support of the Government and people of Nigeria to come here and give it our best fight-and-push. Our Sports Minister reminded us of the fact that Nigeria finished second in 2010 and 2014, and reached the semi-finals in 2012. He charged us to come back with the trophy this time, and that is our objective.”
The Falconets’ final phase of preparation for the 23-day championship will include tough tests against Australia and Mexico. They go up against the Australians on Friday, 23rd August, and then confront the Mexicans three days later.
The girls from Mexico will be featuring in the FIFA U20 Women’s World Cup for the 10th time, having missed one previous championship, while Nigeria is one of only four countries (the others being USA, Brazil and Germany) to have played in every final tournament since the competition was launched as an U19 event in Canada in 2002.
With the competition having only this year been upgraded to a 24-nation-finals, nearly half of the finalists are debutants. These are Austria, Chile, Chinese Taipei, Denmark, Fiji, Haiti, Papua New Guinea, Poland, Thailand, Cameroon and Morocco.