Colombia 2024: Falconets off to Bogota for two-week final camping ahead of World Cup finals

Posted : 18 August 2024

Two-time finalists Nigeria will set up camp in the Colombian capital, Bogotá, starting Sunday, for a two-week final camping program leading to the commencement of the FIFA U20 Women’s World Cup finals, which begin in that country on the last day of this month.

The ever-present Falconets, who also reached the semi-finals in Japan 12 years ago and have made the quarter-finals in 2006, 2018, and 2022, secured one of Africa’s tickets to this year’s final tournament after aggregate-score victories over Tanzania and Burundi.

The Coach Christopher Musa Danjuma-led team spent four weeks in the first phase of their final camp in Abuja, during which they won a series of friendly games, losing only once.

“I want to thank the NFF for arranging the two-week camp in Colombia. This will go a long way in helping the team, as the players will acclimatize well and get familiar with their surroundings before the championship begins. I assure you that we will make the best use of this opportunity,” Danjuma said.

Hours before the team was due to fly out of the country to Istanbul aboard a Turkish Airlines flight, en route to Bogotá, Sports Minister John Owan Enoh met with the squad on Friday. He charged them to aim for the ultimate prize, having previously won silver medals and reached the semi-finals once.

“Your predecessors have done well by reaching the final of the competition on two occasions and making the semi-finals once. It is now time for you to take our country further by winning the trophy. I commend the NFF for arranging the two-week final camp for you in Colombia, which will enable you to acclimatize well before the tournament. The Government and the people of this great country are with you, and I am confident that you will not disappoint.”

Present in Canada in 2002 when the tournament was launched as a U19 Championship, the Falconets have participated in Thailand 2004, Russia 2006, Chile 2008, Germany 2010, Japan 2012, Canada 2014, Papua New Guinea 2016, France 2018, and Costa Rica 2022. The global coronavirus pandemic made any tournament impossible in 2020.

Already drawn to play Korea Republic, Germany, and Venezuela in that order in the group phase, the Falconets know they must start fighting hard from the first whistle in Bogotá to have any chance of making the Round of 16, as the competition welcomes 24 teams for the very first time.

With the field expanded to 24 teams, Africa now has four representatives (Nigeria, Morocco, Cameroon, and Ghana). Matches will take place in four venues across three different cities (Bogotá, Medellín, and Cali).

There will be two venues in Bogotá – Estadio El Campín and Estadio Metropolitano de Techo. The Estadio Atanasio Girardot in Medellín and the Estadio Pascual Guerrero in Cali are the other venues.

Nigeria’s first match of the tournament against Korea Republic will be held inside the 10,000-capacity Estadio Metropolitano de Techo in Bogotá on 1st September – the same venue where they will confront Germany three days later. Their final match of the group phase is against Venezuela at the Estadio Pascual Guerrero in Cali on 7th September.

Colombia 2024: Falconets off to Bogota for two-week final camping ahead of World Cup finals

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