Nigeria’s Flamingos have become the first African team to win the FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup after defeating Japan 2-1 in Saturday’s final in Morocco.
The victory marked a historic breakthrough for the country’s women’s youth football, with the Hakeem Busari-led side overcoming an early setback in the tournament to claim the title.
Awawu Bashiru opened the scoring for Nigeria in the 39th minute with a long-range effort that slipped through the Japanese goalkeeper’s hands, before Oluebube Umejiaku doubled the lead two minutes into the second half.
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Japan reduced the deficit through Fuki Ito in the 80th minute, but the Flamingos held on to secure the trophy.
The triumph also made Nigeria the first African country to win the FIFA U-17 World Cup in both the men’s and women’s categories, following the Golden Eaglets’ successes in the boys’ competition.
The Flamingos’ journey to the title was marked by a remarkable turnaround after they lost their opening group match 2-1 to Poland.
They subsequently recovered to progress through the tournament, scoring 14 goals before defeating Brazil in the semi-final to book their place in the final against Japan.
The victory made Nigeria the first team in the competition’s history to lose its opening match and still go on to win the trophy.
Umejiaku, who scored four goals during the tournament, was named the winner of the Golden Ball award for the competition’s outstanding player.
The Flamingos’ previous best performance at the tournament was a third-place finish in 2022.
President Bola Tinubu congratulated the team on the historic achievement, declaring that the players had made the country proud.
“You have written your names in gold,” the President said.
The triumph adds to Nigeria’s record in women’s football, with the senior Super Falcons having won the Women’s Africa Cup of Nations a record 10 times.
The Flamingos’ achievement is expected to renew attention on investment in women’s youth football and the development of emerging talents in the country.
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