The West Africans square up against the European giants in the opening match of the Mundial
Nigeria’s U17 women’s national team will, on Tuesday, October 11, take on their German counterparts in Group B’s first clash of the 2022 FIFA U17 Women’s World Cup.
Despite their pedigree in the game, both teams have never won the cadet World Cup, and they will have high hopes of rewriting the record books in India.
Nigeria have a storied history at the tournament, appearing in five of the previous six editions and making it to the quarterfinals stage thrice in 2010, 2012, and 2014.
The disappointment of the 2016 edition in Jordan, however, lingers. The Flamingoes finished bottom of a group that also had North Korea, Brazil, and England and, for the first time in history, failed to register a goal.
The successor of that uninspiring Flamingoes side then failed to qualify for Uruguay 2018.
The present crop, under the tutelage of head coach Bankole Olowookere, will look to bring smiles back to the faces of fans with a fine showing in India.
And it all begins with a meeting against Germany, whose best showing at the World Cup is a third-place finish in 2008.
Head-to-head
India 2022 will be the first time Nigeria meet Germany at the FIFA U17 Women’s World World Cup.
But a highly entertaining match is awaited between two attack-minded teams in the Flamingoes and Die Nationalelf.
The Germans are the most successful side at the UEFA Women’s Under-17 Championship with seven titles.
On the strength of that, the reigning European champions will be the favourites against the Nigerians.
A win for the Flamingoes will, however, set them up for a deep run at the Mundial.
Match details
Competition: FIFA U17 Women’s World Cup, India 2022
Date: October 11, 2022
Venue: Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium, Margao, Goa.
Kickoff time: 3:30 pm (Nigerian time)
