The Falconets, Nigeria’s national under-20 women’s football team, have been drawn to face Burundi in the second round of the 2024 FIFA Under-20 Women’s World Cup qualifiers.
The draw was officially conducted by the Confederation of African Football on Thursday in Cairo, Egypt.
The draw produced some interesting ties as the pathway to the global showpiece is officially open.
The first six nations with the lowest rankings will take centre stage in a round-robin format between September 1 and September 10.
Equatorial Guinea will face Libya, Togo will take on Guinea Bissau, and Mauritius will face off against Chad.
The winners from this round will then move on to the second round of the qualifiers.
In this round, Ethiopia will take on the winners of the Equatorial Guinea and Libya pairing, while Senegal will face off with Mali.
Nigeria, semi-finalists at the last edition of the global competition, face Burundi while Ghana awaits the winners of the clash between Togo and Guinea Bissau.
These second qualifying round matches will take place between Oct. 6 and Oct. 15, with the winners heading to the third round of qualifiers scheduled for Nov. 12 to Nov. 19.
The four countries will then face each other in a round-robin format to determine two representatives for Africa at the FIFA Under-20 Women’s World Cup.