Falconets draw with South Korea in last friendly before World Cup

Nigeria’s Falconets played to a 1-1 draw with South Korea in their last international friendly before the 2026 FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup in Poland on Tuesday.

Mary Mamudu scored to give the Nigerian U-20 women’s team the lead in the 29th minute. This took place at the Remes Sports Leisure and Spa Stadium.

The Falconets held on to their lead until the half-time break.

But South Korea came back strong after half-time. They equalized in the 78th minute after getting a penalty.

This match followed Nigeria's earlier game, where they won 1-0 against the hosts, Poland, with Mamudu scoring the only goal.

With Tuesday’s result, Nigeria wrapped up their final warm-up matches ahead of the World Cup with a win over Poland and a draw against South Korea.

After the match, head coach Moses Aduku spoke in a video posted on the Super Falcons’ X account. He said the team had completed their preparations without injuries and was ready for the tournament.

“Well, so far so good. We are done with our friendly games, and for me, we are good. No injury worries. I guess we are ready. Therefore, we’re waiting for the 7th against Spain,” he said.

When asked about the game, the coach said his team had chances to win but recognized the skill of the South Korean side.

“About the game, for me, the game was good. We lost one or two scoring chances to win, but all the same. I respect the Korean team, they are also a good side,” Aduku said.

He added that the Falconets would take the tournament one match at a time, starting with Spain.

“Yes, we are ready. That’s why we are in Poland, and we are here to take one game at a time. We have no other game but to play against the Spanish team on the 7th. So, we are ready,” he said.

The Falconets will start their Group F campaign against Spain on September 7.

Next, they will play China PR on September 10 and finish their group-stage matches against New Caledonia on September 13.