FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup 2026 Quarter-Finals: 8 Teams From 5 Regions, Nigeria Falconets the Sole African Representative

The FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup Poland 2026 has reached the quarter-finals, with eight teams remaining from an original field of 24. The composition of the last eight provides an interesting geographic picture. Nigeria is the only African team still in the competition. Europe has Italy and Spain, Asia has Korea Republic and DPR Korea, South America has Brazil and Colombia, while Canada is the sole representative from the Concacaf region.

That leaves the quarter-final field spread across five geographic regions, with three of them providing two teams each.

The tournament is now down to four quarter-final ties, with the winners advancing to the semi-finals in Łódź.

Quarter-Final Fixtures

Saturday, 19 September

• Korea Republic vs Italy (Arena Sosnowiec, Sosnowiec)

• Brazil vs Spain (Arena Sosnowiec, Sosnowiec)

Sunday, 20 September

• Nigeria vs Colombia (Stadion Miejski ŁKS Łódź, Łódź)

• DPR Korea vs Canada (Stadion Miejski ŁKS Łódź, Łódź)

Quarter-Final Representation by Region

Africa: 1
🇳🇬 Nigeria

Europe: 2
🇮🇹 Italy
🇪🇸 Spain

Asia: 2
🇰🇷 Korea Republic
🇰🇵 DPR Korea

South America: 2
🇧🇷 Brazil
🇨🇴 Colombia

Concacaf: 1
🇨🇦 Canada

How the Eight Quarter-Finalists Got Here

🇰🇷 Korea Republic

Korea Republic reached the knockout stage after finishing second in Group C with four points. They opened with a 1-1 draw against France before losing 3-1 to Ghana. With qualification at stake, Korea Republic responded by beating Ecuador 3-2 to secure second place behind France. In the Round of 16, Korea Republic defeated Argentina 1-0 to reach the quarter-finals.

🇮🇹 Italy

Italy topped Group D with seven points after remaining unbeaten. The Azzurrine drew 1-1 with the United States, defeated New Zealand 3-0 and then drew 1-1 with Japan. That record was enough to secure first place in the group. Their Round of 16 meeting with China PR finished 1-1 after extra time, with Italy advancing 5-4 on penalties.

🇧🇷 Brazil

Brazil produced a perfect Group B campaign, winning all three matches to finish first with nine points. They defeated Tanzania 4-1, Canada 3-0 and England 2-1. The late victory over England confirmed Brazil as group winners. Brazil then faced the United States in the Round of 16. The match finished 1-1 after extra time before Brazil won 5-4 on penalties.

🇪🇸 Spain

Spain were one of the four teams to finish the group stage with a perfect nine points. They defeated Nigeria 2-0, New Caledonia 11-0 and China PR 3-1, finishing top of Group F with a +15 goal difference. Spain continued their unbeaten run in the Round of 16 with a 2-0 victory over Portugal, booking a quarter-final meeting with Brazil.

🇳🇬 Nigeria

Nigeria's route to the quarter-finals has been one of the more eventful campaigns in the last eight. The Falconets opened Group F with a 2-0 defeat to Spain and then drew 0-0 with China PR. They needed a result against New Caledonia and responded with a 10-1 victory, finishing second in the group with four points. The goals against New Caledonia were scored by Ramotalahi Kareem (17' pen, 27', 64'), Rebecca Adegbemile (19', 74'), Seimeyeha Janet Akekoromowei (23'), Winner Onajite David (60', 75', 90+4') and Tosin Rafiu (70'). New Caledonia's consolation goal came from Cina Kourevi in the 89th minute.

That result sent Nigeria into the Round of 16 against England. The Falconets then produced a 3-0 victory over the Young Lionesses. Tosin Rafiu opened the scoring in the eighth minute, Seimeyeha Janet Akekoromowei doubled the lead after half-time and Mary Mamudu completed the victory in the 73rd minute. Nigeria will now face Colombia in Łódź for a place in the semi-finals. The Falconets are also the only African team remaining after Ghana, Tanzania and Benin were eliminated during the group stage.

🇨🇴 Colombia

Colombia reached the knockout stage after finishing third in Group E with four points. They opened with a 3-1 victory over Costa Rica before drawing 0-0 with Portugal. A 0-3 defeat to defending champions DPR Korea in their final group match left Colombia third, but their four-point total was enough to advance to the Round of 16. Colombia then eliminated hosts Poland 1-0 in the Round of 16 to earn a quarter-final meeting with Nigeria.

🇰🇵 DPR Korea

The defending champions have been perfect so far and are the only team yet to concede a goal at the tournament. DPR Korea won all three of their Group E matches without conceding, defeating Portugal 2-0, Costa Rica 4-0 and Colombia 3-0. They finished top of the group with nine points and a +9 goal difference. Their defensive record continued into the knockout stage, as they defeated Japan 2-0 in the Round of 16 to reach the quarter-finals. That means DPR Korea have scored 11 goals without conceding across their four matches so far.

The result also keeps the defending champions on course to defend the title they won in Colombia in 2024. DPR Korea defeated Japan 1-0 in the 2024 final to claim their third FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup title, making them the most successful team in the competition's history. DPR Korea will face Canada in the quarter-finals.

🇨🇦 Canada

Canada advanced from Group B as one of the best third-placed teams. They opened with a 1-1 draw against England, lost 3-0 to Brazil and then responded with a 6-0 victory over Tanzania. The four-point haul was enough to send Canada into the Round of 16. Canada then produced another strong knockout-stage performance, defeating France 3-1 to reach the quarter-finals. They will now meet defending champions DPR Korea for a place in the semi-finals.

Road to the Semi-Finals

The quarter-final has two clear routes to the last four.

The winner of Korea Republic vs Italy will face the winner of Brazil vs Spain in the semi-final.

On the other side, Nigeria vs Colombia will determine one semi-finalist, who will then face the winner of DPR Korea vs Canada.

For Nigeria, a victory over Colombia would set up a semi-final against either the defending champions DPR Korea or Canada.