Nigeria’s Flamingos have qualified for the final of the 2026 FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup after defeating Brazil 3-1 in their semi-final encounter in Morocco on Wednesday.
The Nigerian girls secured the historic victory with a dominant second-half display, scoring three goals to overcome their South American opponents and book their first-ever appearance in the final of the competition.
Queen Joseph broke the deadlock in the 56th minute, capitalising on a pass from Oluwakemi Adegubyi to put Nigeria ahead.
The Flamingos continued to press for more goals, with Awawu Bashiru doubling the advantage in the 71st minute after receiving an assist from Joseph.
Bashiru completed her brace in the 80th minute, converting a pass from Oluebube Umejiaku to extend Nigeria’s lead to 3-0.
Brazil managed to reduce the deficit in the 89th minute through Greise Kelly, who was assisted by Yasmin Queiroz, but the late goal was insufficient to prevent their elimination.
The first half ended goalless despite Nigeria creating several scoring opportunities.
However, the Flamingos improved after the break, taking advantage of their chances to secure a convincing victory.
The Nigerian side will now face Japan in the final after the Asian team defeated defending champions North Korea in the other semi-final.
The achievement surpasses Nigeria’s previous best performance at the tournament, a third-place finish in 2022, when they defeated Germany in the bronze-medal match.
The Flamingos have enjoyed an impressive run in Morocco despite opening their campaign with a 2-1 loss to Poland.
They subsequently defeated Puerto Rico 2-0 and defending champions North Korea 3-1 to finish second in Group B with six points.
Nigeria also overcame Mexico 2-1 in the Round of 16 before edging Venezuela 1-0 in the quarter-finals, courtesy of Azeezat Oduntan’s 89th-minute penalty.
Their victory over Brazil now gives them the opportunity to claim their first title at the competition.
