Nigeria’s Flamingos have made history by winning the 2026 FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup, defeating Japan 2-1 in the final at the Mohammed VI Football Complex in Rabat, Morocco, on Saturday.
Awawu Bashiru opened the scoring in the 39th minute with a long-range strike assisted by Mary Dunstan. Oluebube Umejiaku doubled the lead just two minutes into the second half, finishing calmly after a pass from Esther Stephen. Japan pulled one back through Fuki Ito in the 80th minute, but Nigeria held firm through five minutes of added time to secure the victory.
The triumph makes the Flamingos the first African team to win the FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup and the first African women’s national team to win a FIFA competition. It is also Nigeria’s first title in the tournament, surpassing their previous best finish of third place in 2022.
Nigeria’s campaign was remarkable after an opening-day setback. The Flamingos lost 2-1 to Poland in their first group match before responding with six consecutive victories. They defeated Puerto Rico, Korea DPR, Mexico, Venezuela and Brazil on their way to the final, scoring 13 goals and conceding eight across the tournament.
The quarter-final against Venezuela was decided by a late penalty converted by Azeezat Oduntan, while a 3-1 semi-final win over Brazil secured their place in the championship match. Japan finished as runners-up, with Korea DPR taking third place after a 6-0 victory over Brazil in the bronze-medal match.
