Nigeria Beat Benin Republic to Qualify for U-17 Women’s World Cup

Nigeria’s U-17 women’s team, the Flamingos, have qualified for the 2026 FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup in Morocco after defeating Benin Republic in the final round of the African qualifiers.

The Flamingos sealed qualification with a 5-3 victory in the second leg played on Saturday at the Stade de Kégué in Lomé, Togo. The win completed an 8-5 aggregate triumph after Nigeria had edged the first leg 3-2 in Ikenne, Ogun State.

The result earned Nigeria one of Africa’s four qualification slots for the tournament, while hosts Morocco qualified automatically.

The 2026 FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup will take place in Morocco from October 17 to November 7. It will be the 10th edition of the competition and the second of five consecutive tournaments to be hosted by the North African nation. The tournament will also make history as the first edition to feature 24 teams, an increase from the previous 16-team format.

Nigeria will head into the competition with an impressive record at the tournament. The Flamingos won the bronze medal at the 2022 FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup in India, becoming the first Nigerian team to finish on the podium at a FIFA women’s tournament. They also reached the quarter-finals in 2010, 2012, 2014 and 2024, underlining their status as one of Africa’s strongest teams at the U-17 level.

The qualification keeps alive Nigeria’s hopes of winning a first FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup title when the competition begins in Morocco later this year.