Bad Pitch: NFF Explains Why Falconets Vs Senegal Game Moved To MKO Abiola Stadium Abeokuta

Bad Pitch: NFF Explains Why Falconets Vs Senegal Game Moved To MKO Abiola Stadium Abeokuta 

By Niyi Busari 

The Confederation of African Football (CAF) has approved a request by the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) to change the venue for the third-round, first-leg qualifier of the 2026 FIFA U20 Women’s World Cup between Nigeria and Senegal, BSNSports.com.ng reports.

The match, scheduled for Saturday, 7 February 2026, will now be played at the MKO Abiola Sports Complex in Abeokuta, Ogun State, instead of the Lekan Salami Stadium in Ibadan.

Confirming the development, NFF Director of Competitions, Ruth David, said the request was necessitated by the deteriorating condition of the pitch at the Lekan Salami Stadium, which had earlier been approved by CAF. The Ibadan venue previously hosted the Falconets’ second-round, second-leg encounter against Rwanda in September 2025.

Following the change, the Falconets—two-time FIFA U20 Women’s World Cup silver medallists—are expected to relocate from Ibadan to Abeokuta in the coming days to acclimatize to the playing surface at the MKO Abiola Sports Complex ahead of the crucial encounter.

Explaining why the match was moved to Abeokuta from Ibadan, NFF Head of Competition, Ms Ruth David said it was necessitated by the poor and deteriorating state of the playing turf of the Lekan Salami Stadium in Ibadan.

Nigeria advanced to the third round after recording a dominant 5–0 aggregate victory over Rwanda in the second round of the African qualifying series.

The winner of the tie between Nigeria and Senegal will progress to the final round of the qualifiers, where they will face either Guinea-Bissau or Malawi for a place at the 2026 FIFA U20 Women’s World Cup, scheduled to hold in Poland from 5 to 27 September 2026.