With a place at the FIFA U17 Women’s World Cup within touching distance, Flamingos head coach Bankole Olowookere has expressed full confidence in his players as they prepare to face Algeria in the final leg of their qualifying campaign.
In a press statement issued on Thursday, the coach assured that his girls are fully motivated for the mission ahead of them.
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“Our objective is clear – to win the FIFA World Cup ticket. That is the big motivation. Yet, we have been further incentivised by the monetary rewards. My girls will go all out on Friday night,” said Olowookere, whose team takes a commanding 4-0 lead into the second leg in Blida.
The crucial encounter will be held on Friday night at the Stade Mustapha Tchaker in Blida, just outside the Algerian capital, Algiers.
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Kick-off is set for 8 p.m., at a time when winds from the Mediterranean Sea are expected to bring a chill to the stadium. But cold weather is not enough to cool the Flamingos’ ambition.
The Nigerian girls are aiming for their eighth appearance at the global showpiece.
Having clinched bronze at the 2022 edition in India and reached the quarter-finals last year in the Dominican Republic, the Flamingos are now determined to go even further.
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Cash boost
Their first-leg dominance in Ikenne—where they netted four goals without reply—set the tone for their campaign, and the players have since received major morale boosts from the Nigeria Football Federation and billionaire sports investor Kunle Soname.
Mr Soname, impressed by the team’s performance, gifted N4 million to the squad—one million naira for every goal scored in the first leg.
The NFF added another N2 million (five hundred thousand naira per goal). Both Soname and NFF President Ibrahim Gusau have confirmed that the same incentive structure remains in place for Friday’s second leg.
The team arrived in Algiers early Wednesday morning aboard a Turkish Airlines flight from Istanbul, fully focused and united in their mission.
Possible line-up
Coach Olowookere is expected to stick with his winning formula. First-leg standout Queen Joseph, who scored twice, will likely lead the attack alongside Zainab Raji and Kaosarat Olanrewaju.
In midfield, Shakirat Moshood, Muinat Rotimi, and Philomena Isaiah are poised to control the tempo and deliver key passes.
At the back, captain and goalkeeper Christiana Uzoma will organise a defensive unit featuring Azeezat Oduntan, Hannah Ibrahim, Christiana Sunday, and Jumai Adebayo.
READ ALSO: U-17 WWC Qualifier: Nigerias Flamingos secure big win over Algeria
Match officials
The Confederation of African Football has appointed Cameroonian official Marie Noelle Etong as the match referee.
She will be assisted by compatriots Marcelle Teikeu (assistant referee 1) and Innocentia Ntangti (fourth official), while Ngarassoum Victorine from Chad will serve as assistant referee 2.
Mauritania’s Oumou Souleymane Kane will act as match commissioner, with Zimbabwe’s Sabelo Maphosa-Sibindi as the referee assessor.
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