Nigeria’s Flamingos beat Benin to qualify for 2026 FIFA U17 Women’s World Cup

Nigeria's U17 women's team, the Flamingos, have clinched their spot in the 2026 FIFA U17 Women's World Cup, securing one of Africa's automatic qualification berths. The team triumphed over Benin with a thrilling 5-3 victory in the second leg of their playoff, completing an 8-5 aggregate win. The match, played in Togo, confirmed Nigeria's passage to the global tournament, which will be hosted by Morocco.

Queen Joseph was the star of the second-leg match, scoring a hat-trick to seal Nigeria's victory. Nigeria's goals also came from Mark Akpan and Esther Enne Stephen. Benin fought back with two goals from Romaine Gandonou and one from Hermionne Lokossou, but could not overcome the Flamingos' lead.

The Flamingos demonstrated consistent dominance throughout the qualification process. They began by overwhelming Guinea with an 11-0 aggregate scoreline, including a commanding 6-0 home victory. Players like Harmony Chidi, Oluwakemi Adegbuyi, Queen Joseph, Mary Dunstan, and Precious Oscar were instrumental in these earlier rounds.

Nigeria's success at the FIFA U17 Women's World Cup is a point of pride, with the team having achieved their best-ever finish by securing the bronze medal in 2022 and reaching the quarter-finals in the 2024 edition. The team will now aim to build on this strong record in the upcoming tournament.