November 8, (THEWILL) – Nigeria’s Flamingos have written their names into the history books after conquering the world at the 2026 FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup in Morocco, becoming the first African nation to win the prestigious tournament.
It was a victory built on perseverance, particularly considering how the team’s campaign began.
The team defeated Japan 2-1 to emerge champions in Morocco despite a disappointing start against Poland in their first match. The girls demonstrated courage, resilience, determination to achieve what no African country had accomplished before.
A difficult beginning and a remarkable response
Following the opening day defeat, The Flamingos bounced back with a narrow 2-0 victory over Puerto Rico before producing one of the most impressive performances of the group stage, defeating defending champions North Korea 3-1.
That victory was particularly significant because Nigeria became the first team to defeat the reigning champions in regulation time at the U-17 Women’s World Cup.
The Flamingos eventually finished as runners-up in Group B behind North Korea on goal difference. The knockout stage: From contenders to genuine title favourites
Their first major test came against Mexico in the Round of 16, where they secured a 2-1 victory to advance to the quarter-finals. Oluebube Umejiaku opened the scoring in the 40th minute before Mary Dunstan doubled Nigeria’s advantage in the 71st minute. Mexico scored a late consolation goal, but the Flamingos held on to book their place in the last eight.
The Flamingos weathered the storm against Venezuela in another difficult encounter with the team’s resilience coming up clutch again to seal a 1-0 win thanks to a late goal from captain Azeezat Oduntan from the penalty spot in the 89th minute. The win secured the Flamingos’ second-ever semi-final appearance at the competition, following their impressive third-place finish in 2022.
Confidence-boosting Victory Over Brazil
After surviving a major scare against Venezuela, Nigeria continued their impressive run with another stunning showing against South America’s powerhouse Brazil.
After a goalless first half, Queen Joseph broke the deadlock in the 56th minute, finishing off a move involving Oluwakemi Adegbuyi.
Awawu Bashiru then took centre stage, scoring twice in the 71st and 80th minutes to put the contest beyond Brazil’s reach.
Brazil managed to pull one back through Greise Kelly in the 89th minute, but it was too late to prevent Nigeria from securing a historic victory.
Prior to the encounter against Brazil, Bashiru had played only 73 minutes in the tournament, all as a substitute. She grabbed the rare opportunity with two well-taken goals and the MVP award.
Nigeria registered 35 attempts in that semi-final, underlining the attacking ambition and dominance that characterised their performance.
The win boosted the team’s confidence ahead of the final against Japan, where they came up with a spirited performance to win the trophy.
READ ALSO:
Keeping The Best For The Last Against Japan
The Flamingos completed their impressive job with a battling performance in the final to beat Japan in the final.
Playing against a Japanese side playing in their fourth final in the competition’s history, the Flamingos were playing in their first-ever final and they made it count.
Nigeria started with confidence and took the lead in the 39th minute through Awawu Bashiru, who finished off a pass from Mary Dunstan. The goal gave the players the belief that the long-awaited trophy was within reach.
Barely two minutes into the second half, the Flamingos doubled their advantage when Umejiaku found the net in the 47th minute following a move initiated by Esther Stephen.
Japan refused to surrender and continued to push forward in search of a comeback.
Their persistence paid off in the 80th minute when Fuki Ito reduced the deficit, setting up a tense closing period. Nigeria held on to seal an historic win in style to become the first African team to win the tournament. The numbers behind Nigeria’s historic triumph. Nigeria played a total of seven matches in the tournament, winning six and losing one.
The Flamingos scored 14 goals and conceded seven.
Awawu Bashiru had played just 77 minutes, with none coming from the start, of Nigeria’s campaign. She was in the XI for the semi-final with Brazil and scored twice, before opening the scoring in the final.
Nigeria became the first African nation to reach the final of this competition with their 2-1 final victory over Japan. They are also the first nation to lift the trophy after losing their opening match.
Nigeria inflicted DPR Korea’s first regulation-time defeat at these finals in a staggering 2,900 days. The Asian tean suffered a 4-1 to Germany at Uruguay 2018, before embarking on an 18-match unbeaten run. Oluebube Umejiaku Shines On The Biggest Stage
Nigeria’s Oluebube Umejiaku was awarded the adidas Golden Ball after she played a major role in the team’s triumph by scoring four goals.
Presidential Praise For The Victorious Flamingos
Aftermath of the victory over Japan, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu congratulated the team for their gallant performances at the World Cup.
He described the win as a landmark achievement for Nigeria and African women’s football.
Tinubu said: “What wonderful news to return home to! Our young girls have conquered the world and given Nigerians everywhere another reason to celebrate our great country.
“I followed your journey throughout this tournament, and after your semi-final victory, you promised to bring the trophy home. Today, you have kept that promise. You believed in yourselves, fought for one another and carried our nation’s flag to the very top of the world.
“Your victory is an inspiration to millions of young Nigerian girls who dream of achieving greatness. You have shown them that with hard work, opportunity and determination, they too can reach the highest levels of achievement.”
