Nigeria’s U17 women’s team, the Flamingos, have secured qualification for the 2026 FIFA U17 Women’s World Cup after defeating Benin 5-3 in a thrilling second-leg playoff to complete an 8-5 aggregate victory.
The entertaining encounter, played in Togo, saw the Flamingos claim one of Africa’s four automatic qualification places for the tournament, which will be hosted by Morocco from 17 October to 7 November.
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As hosts, Morocco qualify automatically, taking the continent’s representation to five teams at the expanded 24-nation competition.
Nigeria made a flying start when Mark Akpan opened the scoring in the sixth minute, but Benin responded five minutes later through prolific striker Romaine Gandonou.
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Esther Enne Stephen restored the Flamingos’ lead in the 15th minute before Queen Joseph extended the advantage four minutes later.
Joseph struck again from the penalty spot nine minutes into the second half to make it 4-1 before Benin mounted a spirited fightback. Hermionne Lokossou reduced the deficit in the 56th minute, while Gandonou converted a penalty eight minutes later to keep the contest alive.
However, Joseph completed her hat-trick in the 76th minute to seal a memorable 5-3 victory and Nigeria’s passage to the global showpiece.
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The Flamingos were dominant throughout the qualification campaign. They began with an emphatic 11-0 aggregate demolition of Guinea in the second round, winning 5-0 away before completing the job with a 6-0 home victory. Harmony Chidi starred with five goals, while Oluwakemi Adegbuyi, Queen Joseph, Mary Dunstan and Precious Oscar also found the net.
Nigeria then overcame a determined Benin side, having edged the first leg 3-2 in Ikenne before producing another clinical display in the return fixture.
Benin, led by the outstanding Gandonou, deserve credit for pushing the Flamingos all the way. The forward finished the qualifiers with an impressive 11 goals, underlining the growing strength of women’s youth football in the region.
The Flamingos will now look to build on Nigeria’s proud record at the FIFA U17 Women’s World Cup, where they achieved their best-ever finish by winning the bronze medal in 2022 before reaching the quarter-finals in the 2024 edition.
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