Nigeria’s Flamingos will seek to extend their winning run and reach the semi-finals of the FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup for only the second time when they face Venezuela on Sunday.
A victory would take the Nigerian side into the last four for the first time since finishing third at the 2022 tournament in India.
It would also give the Flamingos four victories in regular time at the ongoing competition in Morocco, setting a new national record for wins in a single edition.
The quarter-final tie is scheduled for 7pm Nigerian time at the Mohammed VI Football Academy, Pitch 4, in Salé.
Akeem Busari’s side head into the encounter with renewed confidence after recovering from a 2-1 opening defeat to Poland to win their next three matches.
They beat Puerto Rico 2-0 before recording an impressive 3-1 victory over defending champions North Korea, ending the Asian side’s 18-match unbeaten run in the competition.
Nigeria then defeated Mexico 2-1 in the round of 16 to secure their place in the quarter-finals.
The Flamingos have scored eight goals and conceded five in four matches, with Oluebube Umejiaku, Mary Dunstan, Oluwakemi Adegbuyi and Kanyinsola Yusuf among their key attacking contributors.
Venezuela, however, will pose a difficult challenge after eliminating Germany, who had won all three of their group matches, with a 1-0 victory in the last 16.
The South Americans finished third in Group D, recording one win and two defeats, before Diana Bravo's fifth-minute goal secured their shock victory over the Germans.
The result has strengthened Venezuela's hopes of repeating their 2014 achievement, when they reached the semi-finals and finished fourth.
Sunday's encounter will be the first meeting between Nigeria and Venezuela at the U-17 Women's World Cup.
The winner will face either China or Brazil in the semi-finals, putting both teams within one victory of a place in the final.
For Nigeria, the immediate task is to maintain the attacking momentum that carried them past North Korea and Mexico while avoiding the defensive lapses that contributed to their opening-day defeat.
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