Nigeria’s victorious Flamingos arrived in Abuja on Monday morning following their historic triumph at the FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup in Morocco, Channels TV reports.
The team on Saturday defeated Japan 2-1 in the final, with Awawu Bashiru and Oluebube Umejiaku scoring the goals to give Nigeria victory.
The achievement also made the Flamingos the first African side to win the global age-grade competition.
Their success followed an impressive run of form before the tournament, having won the 2026 WAFU-B U-17 Girls Cup in Côte d’Ivoire with a perfect record of five wins from five matches. They scored 17 goals and conceded only once in the competition.
Head coach Hakeem Busari praised his players for their determination and tactical discipline, expressing confidence in the future of African football.
Speaking after the final, Busari said the performances of African teams at the tournament reflected improvements in quality, character and competitiveness, despite facing formidable opponents.
He said the Flamingos had navigated a challenging group that featured the defending champions, describing their campaign as evidence of the development of women’s youth football on the continent.
“What we are seeing now is not a fluke. It is about development, it is about character, and it is about fighting from the beginning to really get it right. So we are elated and happy,” he said.
The coach expressed hope that more African countries would reach the latter stages of future editions of the tournament and eventually compete for the title.
Reflecting on the final against Japan, Busari said his technical team had identified the opponents’ ability to win second balls and exploit spaces behind defensive lines as key threats.
He explained that the Flamingos adjusted their tactics to restrict Japan’s attacking options by directing long passes into open spaces rather than areas where their opponents could easily recover possession.
According to him, the team initially aimed to score early but became more cautious after taking the lead. Japan, however, drew level through a set-piece situation.
