Nigeria’s Flamingos have made history, beating Japan 2-1 to win the 2026 FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup on Saturday November 7 in far away Rabat, Morocco.
The Flamingos became the first African nation ever to lift the trophy, just as they finished third place in 2022 edition.
Awawu Bashiru fired Nigeria into the lead in the 39th minute with a long-range effort that slipped through the hands of Japan goalkeeper Kou Kadowaki.
Just two minutes after the restart, Oluebube Umejiaku doubled the advantage in the 47th minute, lifting the ball brilliantly over Kadowaki after a superb pass from Esther Stephen.
Japan fought back and pulled one back in the 80th minute through Fuki Ito, but the Flamingos held on to secure a historic 2-1 victory.
Nobody gave them a chance after losing their opening match 2-1 to Poland. But the Flamingos remained focused and determined to make history for themselves and the country.
The triumph capped a remarkable turnaround for Coach Akeem Busari’s side, who bounced back from that opening defeat to win six straight matches to conquer the world.
Nigeria also became the first African country to win the FIFA U-17 World Cup in both the men’s and women’s categories.
