Nigeria’s Flamingos have made history by winning the FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup for the first time, defeating Japan 2-1 in the final.
Victory in Morocco marks Nigeria’s first-ever title in the competition and makes the Flamingos the first African team to win the FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup.
It is also the country’s best-ever performance at the tournament, surpassing the bronze medal secured by the Flamingos at the 2022 edition in India.
Nigeria’s triumph completes a remarkable turnaround after the team opened its campaign with a 2-1 defeat to Poland.
Under head coach Akeem Busari, the Flamingos responded to the setback by winning five consecutive matches on their way to the final.
They defeated Puerto Rico 2-0 before producing a major upset against defending champions DPR Korea, winning 3-1.
The Nigerian youngsters subsequently eliminated Mexico 2-1 in the Round of 16 and edged Venezuela 1-0 in the quarter-finals, with captain Azeezat Oduntan converting a late penalty.
A commanding 3-1 victory over Brazil in the semi-final then secured Nigeria’s historic first appearance in the final.
Queen Joseph opened the scoring before Awawu Bashiru struck twice to put the Flamingos in control.
Japan had entered the final with considerably greater experience at this level.
The Asian side were appearing in their fourth final, having previously reached the championship match in 2010, 2014 and 2016 and won the title in 2014.
Flamingos’ triumph has extended Nigeria’s strong tradition in women’s youth football and provides another major milestone for a generation of players who overcame an early setback to become world champions.
