Head coach of Nigeria’s U-17 men’s team, Manu Garba, has criticised the Confederation of African Football (CAF) for restricting West Africa’s WAFU B zone to just two qualifying slots for the U-17 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON).
Manu Garba stated this after the Golden Eaglets were eliminated from contention for the 2026 edition.
Nigeria suffered a 2-0 defeat to Ghana in the semi-final of the WAFU B tournament in the Ivory Coast on Tuesday, a result that confirmed their absence from both the 2026 U-17 AFCON and the 2026 FIFA U-17 World Cup, now an annual competition.
This setback follows a similar disappointment in 2024 when the team also failed to secure a place at the continental showpiece and the subsequent World Cup.
Garba, who guided Nigeria to U-17 World Cup glory in 2013, expressed frustration with CAF’s allocation process.
“When they started the WAFU B competition in the Niger Republic, we had seven countries and one country would qualify,” he said after the loss to Ghana.
“I was the one who raised an observation that WAFU B is the strongest zone in Africa. So, Africa needs good representation, and that is why they gave us two slots.
“I am still complaining that it is wrong. Nigeria is still rated number one in the world at the FIFA U-17 level. How can CAF give us just two slots? The last time in Ghana, there was one more slot, but unfortunately, CAF didn’t give the third slot to this zone; they gave it to WAFU A. I think it’s very unfair to a zone like the WAFU B. In youth football, we are the strongest in Africa, and we should get at least three slots.”
Garba, who also worked with Nigeria’s 2007 World Cup-winning side, urged CAF to reconsider. “I am a World Cup winner, I won in 2007 and 2013 in the UAE, so I know what it means. So, CAF must look at WAFU B and give us three slots, which will go a long way for Africa, too. This is my complaint to CAF,” he added.
Nigeria remains the most successful team in U-17 World Cup history with five titles (1985, 1993, 2007, 2013, 2015). However, they last appeared at the global tournament in 2019, where they exited in the round of 16 against the Netherlands.
With CAF’s current structure, WAFU A has three slots despite having eight member countries, while WAFU B, with seven countries, has only two.
Other zones like North Africa (five countries) and Central East (10 countries) both enjoy three slots each. For the 2026 U-17 AFCON, Ghana and the Ivory Coast will represent WAFU B.
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