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

Nigeria's Falconets have successfully advanced to the knockout phase of the 2026 FIFA U-20 Women's World Cup after a commanding 10-1 victory over New Caledonia in their final Group F encounter in Poland on Sunday.

This win brought Nigeria's total to four points from three matches, securing them the second position in the group, trailing only Spain, and allowing them to progress to the Round of 16.

Ramotalahi Kareem and substitute Winner David each netted hat-tricks for Nigeria, while Rebecca Adegbemile contributed with two goals, and Seimeyeha Akekoromowei and Tosin Rafiu also scored.

Kareem initiated the scoring with a penalty in the 17th minute, followed by Adegbemile who extended the lead just two minutes later.

Akekoromowei added the third goal in the 23rd minute, and Kareem scored her second in the 27th minute, giving Nigeria a commanding 4-0 lead at halftime.

David, who entered the match at the beginning of the second half, scored in the 60th minute to increase the lead to 5-0, and Kareem completed her hat-trick four minutes later.

Rafiu contributed Nigeria's seventh goal in the 70th minute, with Adegbemile netting her second seven minutes thereafter.

David scored twice in the last 15 minutes to finalize her hat-trick and elevate Nigeria's score to 10-0.

New Caledonia managed to score a consolation goal through Joceline Kourevi in the 89th minute.

This outcome positions Moses Aduku's team second in Group F with four points, behind Spain, who have nine points. China also concluded with four points after a 3-1 loss to Spain, but Nigeria advanced due to a superior goal difference.

Nigeria began their tournament with a 2-0 loss to Spain, followed by a 0-0 draw against China.

The Falconets, who have reached the finals of the U-20 Women's World Cup on two occasions, will now move forward to the knockout stage.

According to FIFA, the top two teams from each group, along with the four best third-placed teams, qualify for the knockout rounds.