Nigeria’s U17 women’s national team, the Flamingos, are on the brink of securing their eighth FIFA U17 Women’s World Cup appearance as they prepare to face Algeria in the second leg of their final qualification tie on Friday night in Blida, Soccernet.ng reports.
With a commanding 4-0 first-leg victory secured at the Remo Stars Stadium in Ikenne, the young Nigerians arrive in North Africa full of confidence and poised to finish the job.
The Stade Mustapha Tchaker in Blida may offer a chillier climate, but the Flamingos’ ambitions remain warm and unwavering.
Nigeria are no strangers to this stage. Since the inception of the FIFA U17 Women’s World Cup, the West Africans have qualified for all but one edition and remain a dominant force on the continent. The Flamingos boast an impressive track record: 28 qualifiers played, 27 victories, and just one defeat.
The 2022 edition saw the team clinch a historic bronze medal in India, while they also reached the quarter-finals in the Dominican Republic.
Algeria, by contrast, are still seeking their first-ever ticket to the tournament and face a daunting challenge in overturning a four-goal deficit.
Coach Bankole Olowookere’s side have been ruthless in recent times. They have won six consecutive World Cup qualifiers, scoring 21 goals and conceding only twice. In the last ten years, only Cameroon – in a 2-2 draw in 2018 – have managed to score more than once in a World Cup qualifier against Nigeria.
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Nigeria: Team news and selection
Nigeria’s Harmony Chidi, widely regarded as the golden girl of this crop, missed the first leg due to injury.
- Nigeria’s Flamingos. Photo Credit X
Her absence, however, was barely felt as her replacement, Queen Joseph, delivered a stellar performance, scoring twice and leading the line with maturity and precision.
Chidi has travelled with the squad to Algeria and could make a cameo from the bench, but Joseph is expected to retain her place up front, supported by Zainab Raji and Kaosarat Olanrewaju.
Despite a 4-0 win at home, the Nigeria Flamingos are not relaxed.
— Dr. Victor Ademola (@AdemolaVictorTv) April 22, 2025
They are determined to finish the job in the second leg away in Algeria.
Listen to Azeezat Oduntan, Jumai Adebayo, and Queen Joseph share their expectations as they chase a U17 FIFA Women’s World Cup ticket. pic.twitter.com/t5kvY0diwS
Midfield creativity and steel will come from Shakirat Moshood, Muinat Rotimi, and Philomena Isaiah, while captain and goalkeeper Christiana Uzoma will marshal a defence that includes Azeezat Oduntan, Hannah Ibrahim, Christiana Sunday, and Jumai Adebayo.
Algeria’s long shot
Algeria, coached by Abednour Mira, will draw on the memory of their comeback against Botswana in the previous round. Then, they overturned a 2-1 away defeat with a 4-0 home victory. However, Nigeria’s Flamingos are not Botswana.
“We lost the first leg to Botswana and turned it around at home,” Mira noted. “We’ll try to do something similar here. In football, anything is possible.”
Despite Mira’s optimism, the gulf in class between the two sides was evident in the first leg. Friday’s game is just the second-ever meeting between the nations at this level, and Algeria will require a monumental effort to claw their way back into contention.
Nigeria: Incentives and motivation
Fuelled by the lure of World Cup glory, the Flamingos also have additional incentives driving them.
Following their 4-0 triumph in the first leg, billionaire businessman Kunle Soname rewarded the team with N4 million (N1 million per goal), while the Nigeria Football Federation added another N2 million.
Both Soname and NFF president Alhaji Ibrahim Musa Gusau have confirmed that similar rewards await the players should they deliver again in Blida.
Coach Olowookere said: “Our objective is clear – to win the FIFA World Cup ticket. That is the big motivation. Yet, we have been further incentivised by the monetary rewards. My girls will go all out on Friday night.”
Match details
- Competition: U17 Women’s World Cup Qualification – Africa
- Match: Algeria vs Nigeria
- Date: Friday, 25 April 2025
- Venue: Stade Mustapha Tchaker, Blida (Algeria)
- Time: 8:00 PM (Nigerian Time)
