Nigeria’s Future Eagles produced a dominant attacking display on Wednesday, thrashing New Caledonia 7-0 to reach the Tier C Round of 16 at the 2026 FIFA U-15 World Cup and Festival in Baku, Azerbaijan.
Oche opened the scoring in the first minute before Ijachi doubled Nigeria’s advantage in the 12th minute and struck again four minutes later.
Muhammad extended the lead in the 21st minute as Nigeria continued to overwhelm their opponents.
Ijachi completed his hat-trick in the 35th minute, while Muhammad scored his second goal four minutes later. Salu then found the net in the 40th minute to complete the emphatic victory.
The seven-goal haul provided a significant boost for the Nigerian youngsters as they turned their attention to the knockout rounds.
Nigeria entered the second phase after finishing third in Group AD with seven points from five matches, scoring 11 goals and conceding 10.
The Future Eagles opened their campaign with a 3-3 draw against South Sudan before playing out a 2-2 stalemate with Jordan. They subsequently drew 3-3 with The Gambia.
Bassey’s side recorded their only group-stage victory with a 2-1 comeback win over Cyprus before sharing the points in a 1-1 draw against Pakistan in their final fixture.
Their third-place finish placed them in Tier C, where Wednesday’s convincing victory over New Caledonia has put them in contention for the tier’s title.
The Future Eagles will face either Benin or Cuba in the Tier C Round of 16 on Thursday, 29 October, as they seek to maintain their momentum in the competition.
The 2026 FIFA U-15 World Cup and Festival features an eight-a-side format, with matches played over two 20-minute halves. Teams are grouped into six tiers based on their qualification-phase performances, with a winner emerging from each tier.
Nigeria will hope to build on their emphatic victory over New Caledonia and progress further in the knockout stage as they pursue the Tier C title.
