2021 FIFA U-17/20 Women’s World Cup: Covid-19 may stop African teams 

Harry Awurumibe, Editor-in-Chief

Nigeria’s two age-grade women’s football teams, Falconets and Flamingos may not participate in the 2021 FIFA Women’s World Cup final slated for India,  CostaRica and Panama.

World football ruling body, FIFA has scheduled the U-20 Women’s World Cup final for January 20 to February 6, 2021 in Costa Rica and Panama.

Also, the U-17 Women’s World Cup final is also billed February 17 to March 7, 2021 in India

Nigeria’s Flamingos (U-17) have qualified for the last round of the African qualifiers where she would have met with Ghana last March for the winner take all match before the outbreak of Covid-19 pandemic.

Falconets U-20 in the other hand have not started their qualifiers matches before the outbreak of Covid-19 which forced football activities to be stopped across the world.

However, Nigeria and other African countries may not be at the two developmental competitions organised by FIFA next year because the Confederation of Africa Football (CAF) has not concluded the selection.of representatives before the Covid-19 pandemic surfaced.

Sportsrevelation can confirm that CAF has not decided on what to do with the qualifiers and how to select African teams to represent it at the global football event

Sources at CAF headquarters in Cairo, Egypt has revealed that the organisation’s leadership is in close contact with FIFA hierarchy on the subject matter and will soon make a categorical statement on the qualifiers for the U-17 and U-20 Women’s World Cup final.

“The qualifiers will still hold. The U-17 has only the final round of matches left whilst the U-20 has already witnessed the preliminary rounds. CAF is still in discussion with FIFA taking into consideration the restrictions in movement across the African continent due to COVID-19 pandemic”, CAF sources told Sportsrevelation.

 Should the  above scenario persist, the Falconets and Flamingos may not participate in the two FIFA Women’s World Cup final event.