Flamingos Qualify for 2026 FIFA U17 Women's World Cup After Beating Benin

Nigeria’s U17 women’s team, the Flamingos, have qualified for the 2026 FIFA U17 Women’s World Cup. They beat Benin 5-3 in a thrilling second-leg playoff, finishing with an 8-5 win on aggregate.

The exciting match took place in Togo. With this victory, the Flamingos earned one of Africa’s four automatic spots for the tournament. Morocco will host the event from 17 October to 7 November.

As the host nation, Morocco qualifies automatically. This brings the number of African teams to five at the expanded 24-nation competition.

Nigeria started strong when Mark Akpan scored in the sixth minute. But Benin struck back quickly, with their top striker Romaine Gandonou equalizing just five minutes later. Esther Enne Stephen then put the Flamingos ahead again in the 15th minute, followed by Queen Joseph extending the lead four minutes later.

Joseph scored again from the penalty spot nine minutes into the second half, making it 4-1. Benin fought back, with Hermionne Lokossou reducing the gap in the 56th minute. Gandonou then scored a penalty eight minutes later, keeping the match tense.

However, Joseph completed her hat-trick in the 76th minute, sealing a memorable 5-3 win and Nigeria’s spot at the World Cup.

The Flamingos were strong throughout the qualification campaign. They started with an impressive 11-0 aggregate win over Guinea in the second round, winning 5-0 away and finishing with a 6-0 home victory. Harmony Chidi stood out with five goals, while Oluwakemi Adegbuyi, Queen Joseph, Mary Dunstan, and Precious Oscar also scored.

Nigeria then faced a tough Benin team, having won the first leg 3-2 in Ikenne before showing their skill in the return match.

Benin, led by the talented Gandonou, put up a good fight. She finished the qualifiers with an impressive 11 goals, highlighting the growth of women’s youth football in the area.

The Flamingos now aim to continue Nigeria’s strong tradition at the FIFA U17 Women’s World Cup. They had their best finish in 2022, winning the bronze medal, and reached the quarter-finals in the 2024 tournament.