Nigeria’s Flamingos made history in Rabat on Saturday, beating Japan 2-1 to win the FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup and become the first African team ever to lift the trophy.
Awawu Bashiru opened the scoring in the 39th minute at the Mohammed VI Football Complex, her dropping effort slipping through the gloves of Japan goalkeeper Kou Kadowaki. Two minutes after the break, Oluebube Umejiaku doubled the lead, racing onto a long pass from Esther Stephen and lifting a delicate lob over the advancing Kadowaki.
Japan, beaten finalists for the third time in the competition’s history, refused to fold. Substitute Anri Ito headed a corner back across goal in the 80th minute for Fuki Ito to volley home, setting up a tense finish. But Nigeria held on to complete a remarkable turnaround in a tournament they had begun with defeat to Poland, winning six matches in a row to take the title.
Umejiaku was named player of the match and took the tournament’s Golden Ball as its outstanding player, having scored four goals across the competition, including the winner in the final. “I feel good, I feel very happy,” she said afterwards. “It was very difficult for us but the instructions of the coaches made us put our heads up.”
The victory is Nigeria’s first FIFA women’s world title at any level and improves on the Flamingos’ previous best finish of third place at the 2022 edition. It also makes Nigeria the first African nation to win a FIFA women’s tournament at any age level.
President Bola Tinubu congratulated the team after the final, hailing a triumph that will be celebrated across the country and the continent. Japan coach Sadayoshi Shirai praised his players’ fight to the end. “I want them to be proud of themselves,” he said. “The way they fought until the very end of this World Cup will have inspired many people, and I hope they can take confidence from that.”
Sources: FIFA — “Japan 1-2 Nigeria | Report and highlights | FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup 2026 final” (https://www.fifa.com/en/tournaments/womens/u17womensworldcup/morocco-2026/articles/rabat-japan-nigeria-report); Nigeria Football Federation.
Note: The featured image is a file photo of Nigeria’s women’s under-20 team at camp in 2015, not of the World Cup final in Rabat.
