Nigeria’s U-17 women’s national team, the Flamingos, have secured a historic place in the final of the 2026 FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup after defeating Brazil 3-1 in Wednesday’s semi-final in Sale, Morocco.
The Nigerian side booked their place in the final through goals from Queen Joseph and Awawu Bashiru, who scored twice, while Graise Kelly netted Brazil’s only goal.
The victory marks the first time the Flamingos have reached the final of the tournament, surpassing their previous best performance of winning bronze at the 2022 edition.
The encounter at the Mohammed VI Football Complex began cautiously, with both teams unable to find the back of the net before the half-time break.
However, the Flamingos returned with renewed determination after the restart, taking the lead through Joseph. Oluwakeyi Adegbuyi initiated the move with a drive into Brazil’s penalty area before her mishit effort fell into Joseph’s path, allowing the forward to finish and put Nigeria ahead.
A few minutes later, Bashiru extended the advantage with an impressive effort from the left side of the pitch. Her cross-shot sailed over the Brazilian defenders and goalkeeper before settling in the net.
The forward completed her brace with another goal after the Nigerian team produced a well-coordinated attacking move, moving the ball through the Brazilian defence before finding the net.
Brazil managed to pull one goal back through Kelly late in the encounter, but their effort was insufficient to prevent Nigeria from securing a convincing victory.
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The result puts the Akeem Busari-led team within one match of winning Nigeria’s first-ever global title in women’s football.
The Flamingos will now turn their attention to Saturday’s final, where they will face Japan, who secured their place after defeating North Korea in a penalty shootout.
Nigeria will be hoping to make history by claiming their maiden U-17 Women’s World Cup title.