Adedokun Waliyu For almost two decades, Nigeria’s Flamingos dominated the continent, becoming one of its most feared teams. But on the world stage, the story was different, as they repeatedly failed to cross the quarter-final hurdle at the U-17 Women’s World Cup.
However, on a dramatic night in 2022, the Flamingos rewrote history by beating Germany on penalties to win the third-place play-off in India.
Four years later, Nigeria are back on the hunt for glory, this time on African soil.
Building on that 2022 momentum, the journey to Morocco has been months in the making. Under the guidance of Akeem Busari, the West Africans enter the U-17 Women’s World Cup on the back of continental success and intensive training camps.
The Flamingos dominated the WAFU B U-17 tournament, claiming the trophy after winning all five matches. They scored 17 goals and conceded just once on their way to lifting the regional trophy last month in Côte d’Ivoire.
Nigeria’s contingent arrived in the North African country on October 7 for preparations ahead of the 24-country tournament. Since then, the team has been holding intensive training sessions, fine-tuning its tactics and ensuring the squad fully acclimatises to the pitches and weather conditions in Morocco.
Coach Busari will expect his team to carry and build on that WAFU B form into the U-17 Women’s World Cup, where Nigeria will face stern tests in Group B.
Nigeria were drawn alongside Poland, Puerto Rico and two-time champions Korea DPR. Their first test will be against the Europeans before they take on the North Americans and then the Asian side.
To navigate the group, Nigeria announced a 21-player squad headlined by captain Harmony Chidi, whose goal-scoring exploits have become pivotal to the team’s success.
Other players, including goalkeeper Jane Ijirigho, Favour Nkwocha, Tosin Rafiu, Queen Joseph and Precious Oscar, who featured at the recently concluded U-20 Women’s World Cup, are expected to bring valuable tournament experience to the Flamingos’ campaign.
Beyond individual talent, Coach Busari is emphasising collective unity and tactical flexibility ahead of the tournament in Morocco.
“We have a flexible team whereby everybody just tries to give their best. We want a team whereby all of them are aiding one another in terms of their efforts and achievement,” the coach told FIFA.com.
“Our team has a mixed style. We can play a low block, a mid block, or a high block. It’s a flexible team but still a work in progress. They are young girls, so we have to be a little bit patient with them.”
Nigeria are no strangers to the global stage. The West Africans have qualified for eight of the nine editions of the age-grade competition since its inception in 2008.
With a rich history behind them, Busari’s players carry not only Nigeria’s hopes but also the aspirations of a continent yearning for the top prize in an expanded 24-team tournament, scheduled to run from October 17 to November 7, 2026, in Morocco.
Speaking ahead of the tournament, the coach said the players “are happy and eager to represent their country and fly the green-white-green flag”.
“For us, it is a call to duty. We want to play and enjoy doing what we know best, and we are ready to serve and make Nigeria proud,” Busari said.
The Flamingos have vowed to “approach every game with the same mentality, perspective and strength”.
While Busari and his players are determined to make Nigeria proud, a strong finish in Morocco will require grit, character and tactical ingenuity.
