Nigeria’s Flamingos have qualified for the 2026 U-17 Women’s World Cup after defeating neighbours Benin Republic in the last round of qualifications. Africans& Diaspora Nigeria sealed their place in the tournament after beating the second leg of the tie 5-3 yesterday at the Stade de Kégué in Lomé, Togo, progressing on an 8-5 aggregate, reported Channels TV.
The Flamingos had earlier defeated the Young Amazons 3-2 at Ikenne, Ogun State in the opening leg of the fixture.
Nigeria booked their place in the World Cup with a 2-0 win in the second match, with Mark Akpan, Esther Stephen and Queen Joseph all scoring.
That secured the Flamingos one of four spots for Africa for the tournament.
They will now join hosts Morocco (five for the continent) in the 24-team competition which is set to take place from October 17 to November 7, 2026.
Seamlessly, Nigeria booked their ticket to Morocco as Coach Akeem Busari’s side crushed Guinea 11-0 on aggregate (5-0 away and 6-0 home) in the second round of qualifiers. Africans & Diaspora
The qualifying also affirms Nigeria as one of the most consistent teams in the tournament.
The Flamingos have made it to every single U-17 Women’s World Cup, except for the 2018 edition.
Their finest performance occurred in 2022, when Nigeria finished third.
The Flamingos qualified for the quarter-finals on four occasions, crashed out at the group stage twice and finished in the round of 16 on one occasion.
Nigeria will be trying to go one better and win the competition on African soil after securing their place at Morocco 2026. Africans & Diaspora
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