Nigeria’s U17 women’s national team, the Flamingos, has departed the country for Santo Domingo, the capital of the Dominican Republic, ahead of the FIFA U17 Women's World Cup, Soccernet.ng reports.
The team, under the guidance of coach Bankole Olowookere, departed Nigeria on Tuesday aboard a Turkish Airlines flight.
The Flamingos will undergo an intensive two-week training camp in the Dominican Republic before the tournament proper begins.
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The training camp will help the squad acclimatise ahead of the prestigious global tournament, which kicks off from October 16 to November 3, 2024.
Nigeria have been drawn into Group A for the competition, where they will face the host nation, the Dominican Republic, as well as Ecuador and New Zealand.
This tournament offers the Flamingos another opportunity to claim Nigeria’s first-ever FIFA U17 Women's World Cup trophy, and Olowookere is optimistic about their chances.
“We are confident of a good outing in the Dominican Republic,” the coach remarked.
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His leadership saw the team secure an impressive third-place finish in the last edition of the tournament in India.
Olowookere has unveiled a 21-player squad for this year’s competition, with captain Taiwo Afolabi leading the charge.
The team’s attack will be spearheaded by standout forwards Harmony Chidi and Peace Effiong.
Harmony Chidi, in particular, was instrumental in Nigeria’s qualification, scoring 13 of the Flamingos’ 25 goals throughout the qualifiers.
The Flamingos have a rich history in the competition, having reached the quarterfinals three times before their remarkable semi-final appearance in 2022, where they triumphed over the USA on penalties.
Nigeria will now look to build on that success as they prepare to challenge for the title.
