The Flying Eagles edged past the reigning African champions in a dramatic penalty shootout, after a tense 120 minutes ended goalless at the Suez Canal Stadium in Ismailia.
Goalkeeper Ebenezer Harcourt emerged as the hero, saving spot-kicks from Pierre Dorival and Mame Mor Faye, while Ousmane Konate’s attempt rattled the crossbar.
In addition to securing a spot at the global football showpiece in Chile, the seven-time African champions have also reached the AFCON U20 semi-finals, where they will face either South Africa or DR Congo.
“We don't want to pursue two things at the same time,” coach Aliyu Zubair had told the media.
“First things first, and that is getting the ticket to the World Cup. That’s where all our attention is. We are gathering momentum, and I believe we are in a ready stage now.
“We respect all opponents, including Senegal as defending champions. But Nigeria has been in that position before. This time, we are coming to be the ones to stop them and run our race into the semi-finals.”
Nigeria will be making their 14th appearance at the U20 World Cup, since debuting in the tournament's fourth edition held in Mexico in 1983.
Their best performance to date remains a second-place finish, achieved in the 1989 and 2005 editions in Saudi Arabia and the Netherlands, respectively.
The West Africans were eliminated in the Round of 16 at the 2023 edition in Argentina. Despite defeating the hosts in the previous round, Ladan Bosso’s boys fell short against South Korea, losing 1-0 after extra time.
