10 Super Falcons Breakout Stars From FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup

The 11th edition of the FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup will kick off in Colombia with Nigeria’s Falconets among the 24 teams taking part.

This year’s edition will be held from Saturday, 31 August to Sunday, 22 September 2024.

Ahead of the tournament, Completesports.com’s JAMES AGBEREBI profiles 10 Super Falcons players who previously featured at the FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup.

ASISAT OSHOALA

Asisat Oshoala came to the limelight after featuring for the Falconets at the 2014 FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup in Canada.

Oshoala was named the best player of the tournament and also won the top goalscorer award with seven goals, as the Falconets reached the final, where they lost 1-0 to Germany.

She has gone on to help the Super Falcons win the 2014, 2016, and 2018 Africa Women’s Cup of Nations and has featured in three FIFA senior women’s World Cups (2015, 2019, 2023), scoring a goal in each of the tournaments she played in.

At the Paris Olympics, she was in action for the Falcons as they failed to progress from the group stage.

The 29-year-old, who hold the national award of Member of the Order of the Niger (MON), helped Barcelona win the Spanish women’s league and the UEFA Women’s Champions League before moving to the US to join Bay FC.

She is the current holder of the CAF Women’s Player of the Year award and has won it a record six times.

CHIAMAKA NNADOZIE

Currently the first-choice goalkeeper at French club Paris FC, Chiamaka Nnadozie featured in all four games the Falconets played at the 2018 FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup.

She was impressive for the Falconets in their 1-0 win against Haiti in their second group game, which earned her the Player of the Match award.

From the Falconets, she graduated to the Super Falcons and was part of the squad that won the 2018 Africa Women’s Cup of Nations, where she was the second choice.

She was included in the Super Falcons squad for the 2019 FIFA senior women’s World Cup in France and was in goal for the 2-0 group stage win against South Korea.

Her heroics in goal against South Korea meant that at 19 years old, she became the youngest goalkeeper to keep a clean sheet at the World Cup.

She played a big role as the Falcons qualified for the football event of the Paris 2024 Olympics, which was the team’s first appearance at the Games since Beijing 2008.

On January 22, 2020, she signed with Paris FC on an 18-month deal and has gone on to extend her contract and cement her place as the club’s first choice.

For her outstanding displays for both club and country, she was crowned African Women’s Goalkeeper of the Year in 2023.

RASHEEDAT AJIBADE

Rasheedat Ajibade was a member of the Falconets squads at the 2016 and 2018 FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cups.

In the 2018 tournament, she scored the only goal in the 1-0 win against Haiti as the Falconets progressed to the quarter-finals.

She was selected by former Falcons coach Thomas Dennerby for the 2018 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations, which the team won.

She has gone on to represent Nigeria at the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup and also at the Paris 2024 Olympics.

At present, she plays for Atletico Madrid and helped them win the Spanish women’s Cup and the Super Cup.

HALIMATU AYINDE

Just like Oshoala, Halimatu Ayinde came into the spotlight thanks to her impressive performance for the Falconets at the 2014 FIFA Women’s U-20 World Cup, where the team reached the final.

She has gone on to help the Falcons win the Africa Women’s Cup of Nations and has also featured in three World Cups in 2015, 2019, and 2023.

Unfortunately, Ayinde could not be part of the Falcons squad for the Paris 2024 Olympics due to injury.

The 29-year-old now plies her trade with the Swedish top-flight club FC Rosengård.

DESIRE OPARANOZIE

Now retired from professional football, Desire Oparanozie featured in two FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cups in 2010 and 2012.

Oparanozie scored two goals as the Falconets became the first and so far only African team to reach the final of the 2010 FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup. The team lost 2-0 to hosts Germany in the final.

She is a proud winner of four Africa Women’s Cup of Nations titles (2010, 2014, 2016, 2018) with the Falcons. She scored the only goal in the 1-0 win against hosts Cameroon in the 2018 final.

Also, she has had the privilege to participate in four FIFA senior women’s World Cups in 2011, 2015, 2019, and 2023.

After playing for local clubs like Bayelsa Queens and Delta Queens, Oparanozie played for foreign clubs like Guingamp, Dijon, and Wolfsburg.

She announced her retirement from professional football after the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup in Australia and New Zealand.

DEBORAH ABIODUN

The diminutive midfielder was one of the revelations of the Falconets squad at the 2022 FIFA Women’s U-20 World Cup in Costa Rica. Despite the team’s elimination in the quarter-finals by the Netherlands, Abiodun had done enough to earn a call-up to the Super Falcons squad by head coach Randy Waldrum.

She was included in the starting line-up in the Falcons’ opening game against Canada, which ended goalless.

Unfortunately, Abiodun received a straight red card and missed the rest of the tournament as the Falcons reached the round of 16.

She made her second senior appearance at a major tournament with the Falcons when she made the cut for the Paris Olympics, where the team crashed out in the group stage.

Abiodun received a full scholarship offer from the University of Pittsburgh’s women’s soccer team in the United States and has been with the team since 2023.

She made the final shortlist for the 2023 CAF Women’s Young Player of the Year award but lost out.

TOSIN DEMEHIN

Tosin Demehin was also a member of the Falconets squad that participated in the 2022 FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup.

The 22-year-old was outstanding in defense for the Falconets, who reached the quarter-finals of the tournament.

Following her superb display at the U-20 World Cup, Falcons coach Randy Waldrum included Demehin in his squad for the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup, where she featured in all the games.

Aside from the senior World Cup, Demehin also took part in the Paris Olympics, partnering with Osinachi Ohale in defense.

After her impressive performance at the 2022 U-20 World Cup, Demehin joined the French club Reims.

NGOZI OKOBI

After featuring in the 2008 and 2010 U-17 FIFA Women’s World Cups with the Flamingos, Ngozi Okobi graduated to the Falconets and was part of the side that finished fourth at the 2012 FIFA U-20 World Cup in Japan.

She was part of the Super Falcons squad that won the Africa Women’s Cup of Nations in 2010, 2014, 2016, and 2018.

Also, she has gone on to represent Nigeria in two FIFA senior women’s World Cups in 2015 and 2019.

Okobi, who currently plays for Spanish club Levante Las Planas, was named in the IFFHS CAF Women’s Team of the Decade 2011–2020.

FRANCISCA ORDEGA

Francisca Ordega was part of the Falconets squad that reached the semi-finals of the FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup in Japan.

Prior to the 2012 U-20 World Cup, Ordega was a member of the Super Falcons squad for the 2011 FIFA senior women’s World Cup in Germany.

She was also part of the World Cup squads in 2015, 2019, and 2023.

Before appearing in the 2012 U-20 World Cup, she had already won the Africa Women’s Cup of Nations in 2010 and also won the trophy in 2014, 2016, and 2018.

Ordega is presently with the women’s team of Russian club CSKA Moscow whom she joined from Levante in 2021.

ALABA JONATHAN

Alaba Jonathan was in goal as the Falconets reached the final of the 2010 FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup in Germany.

It was the first time an African team would play in the final of a major FIFA women’s tournament, a feat the Falconets repeated in 2014 in Canada.

Alaba went on to feature for the Super Falcons and was in goal when the team won the Africa Women’s Cup of Nations in Cameroon in 2016.