Nigeria vs Benin: Flamingos to battle Amazons for U-17 Women’s World Cup ticket

Nigeria’s Flamingos are now just two matches away from securing a place at the 2026 FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup after setting up a final-round qualifying showdown against Benin Republic, Soccernet.ng reports.

The Nigerian girls booked their place in the decisive round with a crushing 11-0 aggregate victory over Guinea. Coach Akeem Busari’s side completed the job in style on Sunday, May 31, at the Remo Stars Stadium in Ikenne, Ogun State, where they recorded a convincing 6-0 win in the second leg.

Having already secured a 5-0 victory in the first leg played at the Stade Félix Houphouët-Boigny in Abidjan, the Flamingos entered the return fixture with confidence and quickly showed the gap in quality between both teams.

Oluwakemi Adegbuyi opened the scoring after only nine minutes when she finished off a fine delivery from Queen Joseph. Team captain Harmony Chidi doubled the lead in the 21st minute with a powerful long-range effort before Joseph added the third goal two minutes later.

Adegbuyi grabbed her second goal of the afternoon in the 32nd minute, heading home to make it 4-0. Chidi then completed her brace in the 34th minute as Nigeria ended a dominant first half with five goals.

The Flamingos continued to control possession and territory after the break. Precious Oscar added the sixth goal in the 70th minute to complete another emphatic victory for the Nigerian side.

The result means Nigeria scored 11 goals and conceded none across two matches against Guinea. Chidi, who netted a hat-trick in the first leg, remains one of the standout performers of the qualification campaign.

Benin’s Amazons await Flamingos in final round

Standing between Nigeria and a place at the World Cup in Morocco are Benin Republic’s U-17 Amazons, who reached the final qualifying round after defeating Sierra Leone 5-1 on aggregate.

Benin laid the foundation for qualification with a 3-0 victory in the first leg at the Stade de Kégué in Lomé, Togo. Captain Romaine Gandonou was the star of the show, opening the scoring from a direct free-kick in the 16th minute before adding another goal in the second half. Diane Dogbé also found the net as the Amazons took firm control of the tie.

Although Sierra Leone managed to score first in the second leg and led 1-0 at halftime, Benin responded strongly after the break. Coach Romaric Déguénon reorganised his side and they scored twice in the second half to secure a 2-1 victory and complete a comfortable aggregate success.

Two-goal queen Gandonou will be the player Nigeria must watch closely. The Benin captain has been the driving force behind her country's campaign, scoring freely throughout the qualifiers and carrying much of her team's attacking threat.

The first leg of the final-round qualifier is scheduled for July 3-5, while the second leg will take place between July 10 and 12. The winner over the two matches will claim one of Africa’s coveted places at the 2026 FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup in Morocco.