Nigeria’s U-17 women’s national team, the Flamingos, have been urged to seize their historic opportunity and become the first African team to win the FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup.
Director-General of the National Sports Commission (NSC), Bukola Olopade, gave the charge ahead of Nigeria’s final clash against Japan at the 2026 FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup in Morocco.
Olopade described the team’s qualification for the final as a moment of immense pride for Nigeria and an opportunity to make history for African women’s football.
The Flamingos secured their first-ever place in the final with an impressive 3-1 victory over Brazil in Wednesday’s semi-final, demonstrating resilience and determination after a difficult start to the tournament.
Speaking ahead of the decisive encounter, Olopade urged the players to remain focused, disciplined and determined, stressing that they were on the verge of achieving something that would be remembered for generations.
“Keep your eyes on the prize. You are on the verge of writing your names in history as the first African team to win a women’s World Cup at any level. We are all behind you, the National Sports Commission, the Federal Government, your families and millions of Nigerians. Keep your eyes on the ball till the very end,” Olopade stated.
The NSC boss also commended the team’s fighting spirit, particularly their ability to recover from a 2-1 opening defeat to Poland and record five consecutive victories to reach the final.
The Flamingos bounced back with a 2-0 victory over Puerto Rico before defeating defending champions North Korea 3-1 in the group stage.
They subsequently overcame Mexico 2-1 in the round of 16 and edged Venezuela 1-0 in the quarter-finals through a late penalty converted by captain Azeezat Oduntan.
Nigeria then produced an impressive second-half performance to defeat Brazil 3-1 in the semi-final.
Queen Joseph opened the scoring in the 56th minute, while Awawu Bashiru scored twice in the 71st and 80th minutes to secure Nigeria’s historic qualification for the final.
The final against Japan presents the Flamingos with an opportunity to surpass their previous best performance at the competition, having won bronze at the 2022 edition in India.
Although reaching the final has already guaranteed Nigeria its best-ever finish at the FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup, Olopade expressed confidence that the team has the character and discipline to go further and bring the trophy home.
