Nigeria’s U-17 women’s national team, the Flamingos, have received congratulations from the Confederation of African Football (CAF) following their qualification for the semi-finals of the 2026 FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup in Morocco.
The Nigerian youngsters secured a hard-fought 1-0 victory over Venezuela in their quarter-final encounter on Sunday at the Mohammed VI Football Academy in Salé, with captain Azeezat Oduntan scoring the decisive goal from the penalty spot in the 89th minute.
The penalty was awarded after Nigeria’s leading scorer, Oluebube Umejiaku, was fouled inside the Venezuelan penalty area. The referee’s decision was subsequently upheld following a Video Assistant Referee (VAR) review.
Oduntan calmly converted the spot-kick to propel Nigeria into the last four, marking the second time the Flamingos have reached the competition’s semi-finals. Their previous appearance in 2022 ended with a historic bronze-medal finish.
Reacting to the impressive victory, CAF Women’s Football celebrated the team’s achievement in a post on its official X handle, declaring: “The Flamingos are flying into the semis! 🦩🇳🇬 Nigeria edge Venezuela to reach the #U17WWC semi-finals! #AfricanFootball.”
The victory also makes Nigeria the last African representative remaining in the competition following Ghana’s 1-0 quarter-final defeat to Japan.
The Flamingos will now face Brazil in a highly anticipated semi-final clash scheduled for Wednesday, November 4, at the Moulay El Hassan Stadium in Rabat. A place in the final will be at stake.
Brazil booked their semi-final ticket after coming from behind to defeat China 2-1 in their quarter-final encounter.
Nigeria’s qualification is particularly remarkable, considering their impressive recovery after opening the tournament with a 2-1 defeat to Poland.
Since then, the Flamingos have recorded four consecutive victories, overcoming Puerto Rico 2-0, defending champions North Korea 3-1, Mexico 2-1 and Venezuela 1-0.
With momentum firmly on their side, the Nigerian girls will be hoping to overcome Brazil and move one step closer to winning the coveted FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup trophy.
