Nigeria 5-0 Niger: Flamingos power to big win in WAFU B U17 Cup opener

Nigeria’s Flamingos made a flying start to the 2026 WAFU-B U17 Girls’ Cup on Wednesday, beating Niger Republic 5-0 in Yamoussoukro, Côte d’Ivoire, Soccernet.ng reports.

Captain Harmony Chidi put Nigeria ahead in the 16th minute before Awawu Bashiru doubled the lead 19 minutes later.

The Flamingos thought they had added a third before the break, but the goal was ruled out for offside in the 42nd minute.

Nigeria therefore went into half-time 2-0 ahead after controlling much of the opening 45 minutes.

The result continued the attacking form the Flamingos had carried into the tournament. They had scored 14 goals in two recent preparation games, beating RoyalToms Queens 11-0 and Generation Next Queens 3-0 before travelling to Côte d’Ivoire.

Flamingos finish the job after the break

Nigeria kept pushing after the restart and eventually turned their two-goal advantage into a rout.

Mary Dunstan made it 4-0 in the 84th minute, just one minute after Nigeria had scored their third goal. Ayomide Rotimi then completed the scoring in the 94th minute as the Flamingos finished with five goals.

The victory gives Busari an early boost as Nigeria use the WAFU-B tournament to sharpen their squad ahead of the FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup in Morocco, which runs from October 17 to November 8. Nigeria are in Group B at the World Cup alongside North Korea, Puerto Rico and Poland.

Nigeria travelled to Côte d’Ivoire with a 20-player squad that includes Chidi, Dunstan, Bashiru, Rotimi and several players from clubs such as Bayelsa Queens, Confluence Queens, Delta Queens and FC Robo Queens.

The Flamingos' next major test in the regional competition is Ghana. The meeting was originally scheduled as Nigeria’s opener before the fixture reshuffle, but the two West African rivals are now set to meet on Saturday.

The tournament itself runs in Yamoussoukro from September 15 to 28, with the competition also serving as a regional pathway toward the 2027 U17 Africa Cup of Nations.