Nigeria’s Flying Eagles suffered a 2-0 defeat to Burkina Faso in their final Group B fixture at the WAFU B U-20 Championship in Côte d’Ivoire on Sunday.

The result saw Burkina Faso finish top of Group B with seven points from three matches, while defending champions Nigeria settled for second place on six points.

Nigeria has never beaten Burkina Faso at U20 level as the Stallions won two of the four games they played and drew two scoring 6 of the 9 goals in their encounters.

On 16th August 2019 both drew 1-1; on 30th August 2019 Burkina Faso won 2-0; it was 2-2 draw on 11th May 2022 while the Stallions defeated Flying Eagles by a lone goal on 18th October 2024.

Burkina Faso drew 1-1 with Ghana and beat Hawks of Togo 3-1.

In the group’s other fixture, Ghana and Togo played out a goalless draw. Ghana finished third with two points, while Togo ended bottom with one.

By topping the group, Burkina Faso will face Niger in one of the semi-finals. Nigeria, meanwhile, have been handed a difficult last-four encounter against tournament hosts Côte d’Ivoire.

The two finalists will not only contest the WAFU B title but will also secure qualification for the 2027 Africa U-20 Cup of Nations to be staged in Ghana.

Burkina Faso took firm control of the contest in the first half, racing into a two-goal lead through Alassane Bagayogo and Mohamed Zongo before the interval.

The Flying Eagles were a shadow of themselves and did not pose a threat to the Burkinabe throughout the second interval.