Africa’s representatives endured another difficult day at the 12th FIFA U20 Women’s World Cup in Poland, with Benin Republic and Tanzania suffering heavy defeats that have raised fresh concerns about the continent’s performance on the global stage.

Sports247 reports that Benin Republic, making their debut at the tournament, were brutally exposed by Argentina in Group A, suffering an 8-0 defeat, while Tanzania’s Twiga Stars were thrashed 5-1 by England in Group B.

The results underline the challenging gap African teams continue to face against some of the world’s established women’s football nations, with the continent struggling to make the desired impact in the early stages of the competition.

Tanzania’s defeat was particularly painful as Nigeria-born Princess Ademiluyi helped England establish early control. The youngster opened the scoring in the ninth minute after connecting with Lia Vivienne, who later provided the assist for Jessie Gale to score England’s fifth goal.

The Young Lionesses, bronze medallists in 2018 and appearing at the tournament for the fifth time, dominated large periods of the encounter.

Rachel Maltby was the standout performer, scoring a hat-trick, with all three goals coming from the penalty spot. She converted in the 15th minute after Lidya Vivienne was penalised, before scoring again in the 43rd minute after Elizabeth Mutimi conceded another penalty.

Mutimi was penalised again two minutes later, allowing Maltby to complete her hat-trick and further compound Tanzania’s misery.

Jamila Mnuduka scored Tanzania’s only goal in the 65th minute, but was forced off with an injury three minutes later.

Tanzania’s defeat leaves them facing a difficult final group match against Canada, while England will meet Brazil in the group’s headline fixture. Brazil currently lead Group B with six points after a 3-0 victory over Canada, with England on four points.

In Group A, Benin’s 8-0 humiliation against Argentina leaves the debutants with just one point and a daunting final encounter against hosts Poland, who defeated Mexico 2-1 and lead the group with six points, Sports247 gathered.

Meanwhile, Ghana’s Black Princesses are also under pressure in Group C after losing 3-0 to Ecuador in their opening fixture. Ghana will face Korea in their next outing.

With several African representatives already struggling, the continent will need a significant turnaround in fortunes to avoid another disappointing showing at the global youth tournament. The remaining group matches now carry enormous importance for Africa’s hopes of progressing deeper into the competition.

Former Super Eagles head coach Augustine Eguavoen has been handed the responsibility of guiding the Super Falcons on an interim basis as Nigeria begins its journey towards qualification for the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic Games.

Eguavoen, popularly known as ‘Cerezo’, will take charge of the 10-time African champions for their crucial second-round Olympic qualifying tie against Comoros in October, as the Nigeria Football Federation continues its search for a substantive head coach.

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The appointment brings a wealth of international experience to the Falcons setup, with Eguavoen having previously managed the Super Eagles at major competitions, including leading Nigeria to a bronze medal at the 2006 Africa Cup of Nations in Egypt.

He will be supported by Christopher Danjuma, head coach of Nigeria Women’s Football League side Nasarawa Amazons, who brings extensive experience from Nigeria’s women’s national teams.

Danjuma previously guided the Falconets at the 2024 FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup in Costa Rica, adding valuable knowledge of the women’s international game to Eguavoen’s technical team.

Former Super Eagles goalkeeper trainer Olatunji Baruwa will take responsibility for the goalkeepers, having worked with several of Nigeria’s national teams, including the Super Eagles, CHAN Eagles, Flying Eagles and Golden Eaglets.

Completing the technical team is former Super Falcons defender Ayisat Yusuf, who will serve as an assistant coach.

Yusuf brings considerable experience from her playing days, having earned 68 international caps for Nigeria and represented the country at four Women’s Africa Cup of Nations tournaments, three FIFA Women’s World Cups and the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing.

The immediate assignment for the new-look technical crew is Comoros.

Nigeria received a bye into the second round as one of the three highest-ranked teams in the African Olympic qualifying competition, while Comoros booked their place after an emphatic 30-0 aggregate victory over Sudan.

Both legs of the second-round tie will be played at the Remo Stars Stadium in Ikenne-Remo, with the first encounter scheduled for October 9 and the return leg four days later on October 13, 2026.

For the Super Falcons, however, Comoros represents only the first hurdle in what promises to be a demanding road to Los Angeles.

Nigeria must successfully navigate four two-legged knockout rounds to claim one of Africa’s two available tickets to the 2028 Olympic Games.

Should the Falcons eliminate Comoros, they will advance to the third round in February 2027, where they could face either Democratic Republic of Congo or Morocco.

A successful passage through that stage would set up another decisive battle in October 2027 against one of Tunisia, Senegal, Benin Republic or Mali.

The final qualification round is scheduled for November–December 2027, with potential opponents including Guinea, Cameroon, Democratic Republic of Congo, Côte d’Ivoire, Central African Republic, Algeria and Burkina Faso.

With the search for a permanent head coach still ongoing, Eguavoen’s interim appointment gives the Falcons an experienced hand for the opening stage of their Olympic campaign.

The challenge is clear: restore stability, overcome Comoros and keep Nigeria’s Olympic dream firmly alive.

For “Cerezo”, it is another national-team assignment. For the Super Falcons, it is the beginning of another fight for Olympic glory.