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Nigeria’s Future Eagles crashed out of C-level competition at the 2026 FIFA U-15 World Cup and Festival after suffering a 6-3 defeat to Benin Republic in the round of 16 in Baku, Azerbaijan, on Wednesday.
The defeat ended Nigeria’s six-match unbeaten run in the tournament, despite another impressive goal-scoring performance from captain Timothy Ogar Ijachi, who scored twice, while Wisdom Boniface added the other goal. Project reports
Benin’s young Guépards capitalized on their attacking opportunities to secure an emphatic victory, clinching their place in the C-level quarter-finals and ending Nigeria’s hopes of winning the division title.
The result was a disappointing setback for the Future Eagles, who had entered the knockout encounter following an emphatic 7-0 win over New Caledonia on Wednesday.
Ijachi shines despite Nigeria’s defeat
Ijachi continued his remarkable tournament with a brace against Benin, taking his goal tally to 11 and further underlining his importance to the Nigerian team.
The captain was one of the Future Eagles’ standout performers, consistently finding the net throughout the competition and spearheading their attacking efforts.
He scored in Nigeria’s opening 3-3 draw against South Sudan before finding the net again in a 2-2 draw with Jordan.
The striker then scored twice in another 3-3 draw against Gambia, before scoring the winning goal in Nigeria’s 2-1 win over Cyprus.
He also scored Nigeria’s goal in a 1-1 draw with Pakistan before bagging a hat-trick in a 7-0 demolition of New Caledonia.
His two goals against Benin extended a remarkable individual run, although they were not enough to prevent Nigeria suffering their first defeat of the competition.
Boniface also contributed to Nigeria’s goal, recording his second goal of the tournament.
Benin’s offensive firepower proves decisive
Benin put in a ruthless attacking performance, with Noé Faton scoring a brace and Kévin Nounagnon recording a hat-trick to lead their charge against Nigeria.
Faton scored in the third and eighth minutes to give Benin an early lead and put the Future Eagles under immediate pressure.
Nounagnon then took center stage, scoring in the 21st and 22nd minutes before completing his hat-trick in the 35th minute.
Osias Assigbe also found the net in the 33rd minute as Benin maintained their attacking momentum in a high-scoring encounter.
Nigeria managed to score three goals through Ijachi and Boniface, but their opponents’ clinical finishing ultimately proved decisive.
The six goals conceded represented a significant defensive setback for a Nigerian team that had shown attacking promise during the early stages of the tournament.
Benin, meanwhile, demonstrated their ability to exploit chances and punish defensive weaknesses, earning a place in the next round of the C-level competition.
From six games without defeat to knockout elimination
Nigeria’s exit is particularly disappointing given their encouraging start to the tournament.
The Future Eagles had gone six games without defeat, recording two wins and four draws before Wednesday’s defeat.
They opened the season with a 3–3 draw against South Sudan before sharing the points with Jordan and Gambia in two more entertaining encounters.
The first victory came against Cyprus, a 2-1 defeat, before a 1-1 draw against Pakistan closed the opening group stage matches.
Nigeria subsequently recorded a crushing 7–0 victory over New Caledonia and advanced to the C-level round of 16.
In that match, Wisdom Oche opened the scoring in the first minute, while Ijachi scored three times. Abdulsalam Muhammad added a brace and Mayowa Salu completed the rout.
The performance raised expectations ahead of the match against Benin, but the Future Eagles failed to reproduce the same level of control and defensive solidity.
Their overall record now stands at seven games played, two wins, four draws and one defeat.
Lessons for Nigeria’s youth development
Although the defeat ends Nigeria’s participation in the C-level knockout competition, the season provided valuable international experience for the young players.
Ijachi’s 11-goal haul stands out as one of Nigeria’s most significant individual achievements of the tournament, while the team’s seven-goal performance against New Caledonia demonstrated its attacking potential.
However, conceding six goals against Benin will raise questions about the team’s defensive organisation, concentration and ability to handle pressure in knockout matches.
For the technical staff, the priority will be to evaluate the shortcomings that emerged from the defeat by taking advantage of the positive aspects of the previous matches.
The tournament also provides an opportunity to identify players who can progress through Nigeria’s youth development pathway and potentially represent the country at higher levels.
The Future Eagles will be disappointed to leave the competition at this stage, especially after going unbeaten in their first six games. However, the experience of competing against international opposition should provide lessons for players as they continue their development.
For Benin, the victory represents a major achievement and keeps their C-level title ambitions alive as they progress to the quarter-finals.
Nigeria’s campaign is over, but the performances of Ijachi and his teammates offer encouragement for the future, provided the lessons learned from Wednesday’s defensive collapse are put to good use.
