YAMOUSSOUKRO, Oct 1 (AGCNewsNet) – Nigeria’s Golden Eaglets have crashed out of the 2026 Africa U17 Cup of Nations following a 2-0 defeat to Ghana’s Black Starlets in Yamoussoukro on Tuesday night.

The setback means Nigeria, five-time U17 world champions, will miss back-to-back editions of the cadet AFCON for the first time since 2009 and 2011.

The Eaglets were handed an early opportunity after a defensive lapse in the Ghanaian backline, but they failed to convert. Ghana capitalized soon after, with Michael Awuli breaking the deadlock in the 21st minute before Robinho Yao Gavi doubled the lead ten minutes later.

Despite a more disciplined second-half showing, Nigeria struggled in attack, with their closest effort coming off the crossbar. Ghana’s captain Joseph Narbi nearly widened the gap before halftime but fired wide.

The result compounds Nigeria’s youth football woes after also missing the 2025 AFCON. They now face Burkina Faso in a third-place playoff, but the larger concern remains the decline of a program once famed for producing global stars like Nwankwo Kanu, John Obi Mikel, and Victor Osimhen.

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