The Falconets, Nigeria’s national under-20 women football team, have been drawn to face Burundi in the second round of the 2024 FIFA Under-20 Women’s World Cup qualifiers.
The News Agency of Nigeria reports that the draw was conducted by the Confederation of African Football on Thursday.
The draw, in Cairo, Egypt, 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 10.
Equatorial Guinea will face Libya, while Togo take on Guinea Bissau, with Mauritius facing off against Chad.
The winners from this round will then move to the second round of the qualifiers.
In this round, Ethiopia will take on 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 await the winners of the clash between Togo and Guinea Bissau.
These second qualifying round matches will take place from between October 6 and 15, with the winners heading to the third round of qualifiers scheduled for November 12 to 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.