Golden Eaglets Coach Apologises After U17 World Cup Qualification Failure

Nigeria U-17 head coach Eboboritse Uwejamomere has apologised to Nigerians following the Golden Eaglets’ disappointing elimination from the 2026 WAFU B U-17 Championship in Burkina Faso.

The five-time FIFA U-17 World Cup champions failed to progress beyond the group stage after losing 2-1 to Niger Republic and drawing 1-1 with Côte d’Ivoire, results that ended their hopes of qualifying for next year’s U-17 Africa Cup of Nations.

The failure also means Nigeria will miss the 2027 FIFA U-17 World Cup, extending the country’s absence from the global tournament since 2019.
Uwejamomere acknowledged the disappointment surrounding the team’s performance, admitting that the players and coaching staff were unhappy with the outcome.

‘Obviously, the first impressions are unhappiness, disappointment. Now we are out of the tournament and the bigger picture is that we won’t go to the U-17 AFCON next year. We are unhappy and very disappointed overall,’ he said.

The coach, however, urged the young players to learn from the experience, stressing that the setback should not define their future careers.

‘For my players, obviously young boys, 15, 16-year-olds, they still have years ahead of them. This is like the first chapter of their career going into elite football,’ Uwejamomere said.
‘So it’s just to learn from this and just use this as an experience going forward in their career.’

The coach also recognised the frustration of Nigerian supporters, who had expected the Golden Eaglets to progress in a competition that offered a route to the continental championship and the global showpiece.

He admitted that the team’s failure would be difficult for fans to accept, given Nigeria’s pedigree in age-group football.

‘For the fans back home, it’s a bitter feeling. A lot of them probably hate us right now, but this is normal because they are fans, they are proud Nigerians, they want and they expect us to win every game, every tournament. That’s normal. Back home, I will feel disappointed,’ he said.

‘The only thing I can say to them is to forgive us because the disappointment they feel I’m also feeling, my players are also feeling the same disappointment.’

Nigeria’s early exit represents a major setback for a country that has won the FIFA U-17 World Cup a record five times. The Golden Eaglets last appeared at the global tournament in 2019 and will now have to wait beyond the 2027 edition for another opportunity to return.