Flamingos kick off World Cup against Poland in Morocco

Nigeria’s Flamingos will start their 2026 FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup journey against Poland in Rabat, Morocco, today, Saturday.

The Group B match will begin at 6pm Nigerian time at the Women’s Football Complex. This tournament features 24 nations and runs from October 17 to November 7.

The Flamingos qualified by defeating Benin in the final round of African qualifying. They arrived in Morocco after winning the WAFU-B U-17 Girls’ Championship last month in Ivory Coast. They won all five matches, scoring 17 goals and conceding only one. They beat Togo 4-0 in the final.

Head coach Akeem Busari has named a squad of 21 players. The team reached Morocco on October 7. Since then, they have been training hard to improve their tactics and get used to the pitch and weather.

Captain Harmony Chidi will lead the attack. She scored five goals during the qualifying campaign and three more at the WAFU-B championship. Goalkeeper Jane Ijirigho, Favour Nkwocha, Tosin Rafiu, Queen Joseph, and Precious Oscar, who played in the recent U-20 Women’s World Cup, are expected to bring valuable experience.

Busari has emphasized the importance of unity and tactical flexibility ahead of the tournament.

"We have a flexible team whereby everybody just tries to give their best. We want a team where all of them support one another in their efforts and achievements," he 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 patient with them."

The coach added that the players were “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.

Poland will be a tough opponent. They qualified for the tournament by defeating England 2-0 in the UEFA play-off, with midfielder Zofia Burzan scoring both goals. Burzan scored four goals at the European U-17 Championship. Poland reached the quarter-finals in their debut at the 2024 edition.

Nigeria is making their ninth appearance at this competition, with their best finish being third place in 2022. They beat Germany on penalties in India to win the third-place play-off.

After facing Poland, the Flamingos will play Puerto Rico on October 20 and Korea DPR on October 23. Korea DPR are the defending champions and have won the title four times. The top two teams in each group and the four best third-placed teams will move on to the Round of 16.