Garba Demands Three U-17 AFCON Slots for WAFU B After Eaglets’ Exit
Nigeria’s U-17 head coach Manu Garba has appealed to the Confederation of African Football (CAF) to allocate three qualification slots to the WAFU B zone for the U-17 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON), following his team’s recent elimination.
The Golden Eaglets were knocked out in the semi-final of the WAFU B tournament, losing 2–0, which has ended their hopes of featuring at the 2026 U-17 AFCON, and by extension the 2026 FIFA U-17 World Cup.
Coach Garba criticized CAF’s current slot allocation, saying it is unfair that WAFU B, widely considered one of Africa’s strongest youth football zones, is limited to just two slots.
“I was the one who raised an observation that WAFU B is the strongest zone in Africa. So, Africa needs good representation … How can CAF give us just two slots?” Garba asked.
“We are the strongest in youth football and we should get at least three slots,” he added, referencing past tournaments where WAFU B had initially been given a third slot but it was awarded elsewhere.
Garba, who led Nigeria to U-17 World Cup titles in 2007 and 2013, argued that giving WAFU B an extra slot would strengthen continental representation.
Under CAF’s current allocation for the U-17 AFCON, WAFU B (with seven participating nations) is allotted two slots, while other zones such as WAFU A receive more.
With Nigeria’s exit confirmed, Ghana and Ivory Coast are set to take the two WAFU B slots for the forthcoming U-17 AFCON.