Nigeria’s Flamingos have made history by reaching the final of the FIFA Under-17 Women’s World Cup for the first time, following an impressive 3-1 victory over Brazil in Wednesday’s semi-final in Morocco.
The victory also makes Nigeria the first African country to reach the final of the FIFA Under-17 Women’s World Cup, marking a significant milestone for women’s football on the continent.
The Flamingos produced a dominant second-half performance, with Queen Joseph scoring the opening goal before Awawu Bashiru struck twice to secure Nigeria’s place in Saturday’s final against Japan.
Joseph opened the scoring after capitalising on a miscued effort from Kemi Adegboye, finishing from close range to give Nigeria the lead.
Bashiru extended the advantage in the 71st minute with an impressive curling effort from near the corner flag before completing her brace nine minutes later with another close-range finish.
Brazil’s Greise Kelly scored a consolation goal in the 89th minute, but Nigeria held on to secure a historic victory.
Reacting after the match, head coach Hakeem Busari said the team was determined to go beyond securing a medal and win the tournament.
“We know we have a medal guaranteed by winning the semi-final, but the trophy is the major thing. Our country wants it, we want it as well, we just need to fight,” he said.
Nigeria’s journey to the final has been marked by a remarkable recovery after losing their opening match 2-1 to Poland.
The team responded with a 2-0 victory over Puerto Rico before defeating defending champions North Korea 3-1 to advance to the knockout stages.
In the round of 16, goals from Oluebube Umejiaku and Mary Dunstan secured a 2-1 win over Mexico.
The quarter-final encounter against Venezuela proved more challenging, with captain Azeezat Oduntan converting an 89th-minute penalty to seal a narrow 1-0 victory.
The semi-final triumph represents Nigeria’s second appearance in the last four of the competition. Their previous semi-final appearance came in 2022 in India, when the team, then coached by Bankole Olowookere, defeated the United States on penalties before losing to Colombia in another penalty shootout.
Nigeria subsequently defeated Germany in the third-place match to claim their first-ever bronze medal at the tournament.
However, the Flamingos suffered quarter-final elimination in 2024 before exiting in the round of 16 in the 2025 edition in Morocco.
Their latest achievement has now surpassed their previous best finish and offers Nigeria an opportunity to win the tournament for the first time.
Standing between the Flamingos and the historic title are Japan, who secured their place in the final after eliminating North Korea.
The Japanese side drew 1-1 after conceding a stoppage-time own goal before winning the penalty shootout 4-1.
Busari acknowledged the challenge ahead, urging his players to remain focused and approach the final with determination.
He said the team must concentrate on completing the job, stressing that reaching the final was only part of their mission.
A victory on Saturday would see Nigeria become the first African nation to win the FIFA Under-17 Women’s World Cup.
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