AFCON 2025
Nigeria’s U-17 women’s national team, the Flamingos, made a commanding start to the 2026 WAFU B U-17 Girls’ Cup with a 5-0 victory over Niger Republic on Wednesday in Yamoussoukro, Côte d’Ivoire.
Captain Harmony Chidi opened the scoring in the 16th minute before Awawu Bashiru doubled Nigeria’s advantage in the 35th minute.
The Flamingos thought they had added a third before the break, but the effort was ruled out for offside, leaving Nigeria with a 2-0 lead at half-time.
Nigeria continued to dominate after the restart and eventually turned the match into a rout in the closing stages.
Ohunene Sunday made it 3-0 in the 83rd minute, with Mary Dunstan adding a fourth just a minute later. Ayomide Rotimi completed the scoring in the fourth minute of stoppage time to seal a 5-0 victory.
The result gives coach Hakeem Busari a strong opening to a tournament that is also serving as preparation for the 2026 FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup in Morocco, scheduled for October 17 to November 8. Nigeria have been drawn in Group B alongside North Korea, Puerto Rico and Poland.
The Flamingos arrived in Côte d’Ivoire on Monday with a 20-player squad. Their opening fixture was initially scheduled against Ghana, but Benin Republic’s withdrawal led to a reshuffle, bringing Niger into Nigeria’s first match instead.
Nigeria will now face Ghana on Saturday, September 19, in their next WAFU B fixture. The tournament is being held in Yamoussoukro from September 15 to 28 and also serves as a pathway towards the 2027 U-17 Africa Cup of Nations.
