Nigeria have strengthened their preparations for the 2026 FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup by inviting West Bromwich Albion Women’s midfielder Chidubem Arinze to the Falconets training camp ahead of the tournament in Poland, Soccernet.ng reports.
The 18-year-old midfielder is one of the fresh faces expected to compete for a place in the final squad as head coach Moses Aduku prepares his team for the global competition, which runs from September 5 to September 27, 2026.
Arinze arrives with growing confidence after an impressive season in England. The right-footed central midfielder, who developed through the West Bromwich Albion Academy, spent the 2025/26 campaign on loan at Boldmere St Michaels, where she made 11 appearances and scored one goal. Her performances convinced West Brom to recall her in March 2026, before rewarding her with a place in the senior squad for the 2026/27 season.
Known for her calm style in midfield, Arinze has built a reputation as a player who protects the defence, keeps possession under pressure and regularly starts attacks with accurate forward passes. Those qualities have now earned her a chance to represent Nigeria on the biggest stage in youth football.
The call-up is especially significant because Arinze was eligible to play for both England and Nigeria. Having been born and raised in England to Nigerian parents, she could have represented either country. However, she has repeatedly expressed her desire to wear Nigeria’s famous green and white colours, making this invitation an important milestone in her international career.
Her inclusion also shows the Nigeria Football Federation’s continued effort to bring talented players of Nigerian heritage into the national team setup as the Falconets aim to challenge the world’s best teams in Poland.
Nigeria: Falconets face difficult World Cup group
Nigeria head to Poland carrying one of the strongest records in the history of the FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup. Since the competition began in 2002, the Falconets have qualified for every single edition, and they extended that remarkable streak by overcoming Malawi in the African qualifiers.
The qualification journey featured several convincing performances. Nigeria first produced a dominant 5-0 aggregate victory over Rwanda, winning 1-0 in Kigali before completing the job with a 4-0 triumph at the Lekan Salami Stadium in Ibadan.
The final hurdle came against Malawi’s Young Scorchers in May 2026. The Falconets won the first leg 2-0 at the Remo Stars Stadium in Ikenne, thanks to an own goal from Maureen Kenneth and a well-taken finish by Kindness Ifeanyi.
The return leg at the Bingu National Stadium in Lilongwe proved much tougher. Malawi fought back strongly as Faith Chimzimu scored twice to put the hosts in control of the match and level the aggregate score. But Nigeria showed their resilience when substitute Precious Oscar capitalised on a defensive mistake to score a priceless second-half goal. Although Malawi won the game 2-1, Nigeria progressed 3-2 on aggregate, securing one of Africa’s four qualification places for the World Cup.
That hard-earned ticket has placed the Falconets in Group F, where they face arguably of the tournament’s toughest schedule. Nigeria begin their campaign against defending champions Spain on September 7 at Arena Sosnowiec. Three days later, they return to the same venue to play China PR on September 10 before rounding off the group stage against New Caledonia on September 13 at the Stadion Miejski in Bielsko-Biała.
Finishing in the top two of Group F, or advancing as one of the best third-placed teams, would send Nigeria into the Round of 16, scheduled for September 16 and 17.
