Nigeria’s Golden Eaglets have crashed out of the 2025 WAFU-B U17 tournament after suffering a 2–0 defeat to the Black Starlets of Ghana in the semi-final played on Tuesday night at the Stade Charles Konan Banny, Yamoussoukro.

The Ghanaians took control of the tie with two first-half goals. Michael Awuli opened the scoring in the 22nd minute after capitalizing on poor Nigerian defending before Robinho Yao doubled the lead in the 32nd minute with a composed finish beyond goalkeeper Great Edafe.

Nigeria nearly got an early breakthrough when George Agha pounced on a loose clearance from the Ghanaian goalkeeper, but his poor composure let the chance slip away. That miss proved costly as the Black Starlets grew stronger and could have gone into halftime with an even bigger lead, but Joseph Narbi wasted two clear chances.

Head coach Manu Garba handed a first start to Wisdom Innocent while Famous Umole dropped to the bench. Boluwatife Thompson and Abdulsamad Salisu supported striker George Agha upfront, but the Eaglets’ attack lacked sharpness and cohesion.

Despite a spirited second-half performance, Nigeria could not break down Ghana’s defence. The Starlets held firm to seal a deserved victory and book their place in the final against tournament hosts Côte d’Ivoire.

By failing to reach the final, Nigeria have also missed qualification for the U17 Africa Cup of Nations in Morocco. That tournament serves as the gateway to the U17 FIFA World Cup, meaning the Golden Eaglets will play no part in global youth football next year.

Instead, Nigeria will battle Burkina Faso in Friday’s third-place match, one that will do little to erase the pain of missing out on continental and global football.