The West African Football Union (WAFU) B has written to CAF requesting that Nigeria’s U-20 national team be considered for inclusion in the next edition of the continental tournament.
The appeal follows a decision reached by the four semi-finalists at the recently concluded WAFU B U-20 Championship — Côte d’Ivoire, Burkina Faso, Nigeria and Niger — before the semi-final matches.
In its submission, WAFU B referenced the precedent set during the 2025 U-20 Africa Cup of Nations in Egypt. Tunisia was included in that tournament after changes to the hosting arrangement. Tunisia had finished third in the UNAF regional qualifiers behind Egypt and Morocco, but was selected after Côte d’Ivoire withdrew as original host and Egypt took over the staging rights. As a result, 13 teams competed in Egypt.
WAFU B is now seeking a similar consideration for Nigeria, with Ghana set to host the next edition of the U-20 AFCON. The regional body is asking CAF to award WAFU B an additional qualification slot, which would allow Nigeria to join the other representatives from the zone and increase the region’s total number of participating teams to three.
CAF is expected to review the request before making a final decision on Nigeria’s participation.
A favourable ruling would provide a major boost for the Flying Eagles after their campaign in the WAFU B U-20 Championship and keep their hopes of competing on the continental stage alive.