Nigeria, Oct. 18 -- Nigeria's Golden Eaglets have been eliminated from the 2026 WAFU-B U-17 Championship after drawing 1-1 with Cote d'Ivoire on Saturday in Burkina Faso, ending their hopes of qualifying for the 2027 U-17 Africa Cup of Nations.

The result condemned the team, coached by Eboboritse Uwejamomere, to an early exit after their opening defeat to Niger Republic left them needing a victory to keep their campaign alive.

Nigeria's failure to beat the Ivorians means the five-time FIFA U-17 World Cup champions will miss another edition of the continental tournament and remain absent from the global competition, which they last featured in 2019.

The Golden Eaglets scored in the 80th minute against Cote d'Ivoire, but the late goal wa...