RismadarVoice Reporters
October 29, 2026
Nigeria’s Flamingos have qualified for the quarter-finals of the 2026 FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup after defeating Mexico 2-1 in their Round of 16 encounter in Morocco on Thursday.
Goals from Oluebube Umejiaku and Mary Dunstan secured victory for the Nigerian side at the Mohammed VI Football Complex in Salé, setting up a quarter-final meeting with Venezuela.
The Flamingos opened the scoring in the 40th minute when Umejiaku capitalised on a defensive mistake to put Nigeria ahead before half-time.
The Nigerian team maintained its advantage after the restart, with Dunstan doubling the lead in the 71st minute to strengthen their chances of progressing.
Mexico, however, mounted a late challenge as Emily Delgado scored during second-half stoppage time to reduce the deficit.
Despite the late pressure, Nigeria held on to secure a place among the tournament’s final eight teams.
The victory continues the Flamingos’ recovery from a difficult start to the competition.
Nigeria opened their Group B campaign with a 2-1 defeat to Poland before responding with a 2-0 victory over Puerto Rico.
The team subsequently produced one of the notable results of the group stage, defeating defending champions DPR Korea 3-1 to finish second in the group with six points.
That performance provided momentum heading into the knockout encounter against Mexico.
The North American side had also recovered from an opening defeat, losing 2-0 to Spain before recording victories over Chile and Australia to advance from Group F.
Against Nigeria, Mexico struggled to overturn the two-goal deficit despite their late consolation goal.
The result keeps alive the Flamingos’ ambition of improving on their previous performances at the tournament.
Nigeria’s best finish at the FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup remains the bronze medal secured at the 2022 edition in India.
Attention now turns to Sunday’s quarter-final against Venezuela, who advanced after defeating Germany in the Round of 16.
The match is scheduled for November 1 at the Mohammed VI Football Complex in Salé, with kick-off at 7 p.m. Nigerian time.
A victory would send Nigeria into the semi-finals and move the Flamingos closer to a first appearance in the tournament’s final.
For head coach Hakeem Busari and his players, the immediate task will be to build on their recent victories while preparing for another demanding knockout encounter.
