The National Under-17 women’s team, Flamingos have qualified for the FIFA U17 Women’s World Cup coming up much later in the years.
The Nigerian youngsters defeated their counterparts from Benin Republic 5-3 in Lome, Togo on Saturday to qualify for the tenth edition of the tournament  on 8-3 aggregate.
Coach Akeem Busari’s side confirmed their qualification after an impressive performance in the return leg, sealing progression from the final qualifying round in emphatic fashion.
VDCInsights reports that the first leg had ended 3-2 in Ikenna with many Nigerians worried that Flamingos were walking tight rope ahead of the second leg.
Nigeria made a bright start in Lomé, with Mary Dustan opening the scoring as early as the 6th minute.
The hosts however, responded quickly to level matters in the 9th minute, but the Nigerian girl restored their lead in the 15th minute through Esther Stephen, before Queen Joseph extended the advantage five minutes later to give Nigeria a commanding 3-1 lead inside the opening 20 minutes.
Though the hosts fought back gallantly as the match progressed but they found the Flamingos hard nut to crack, as they maintained composure in the closing stages.
While the hosts fought to claw back into the game, Queen Joseph grabbed her second of the match in the 76th minute to seal a crucial 5-3 victory on the day and confirm Nigeria’s ticket to Morocco.
The event will feature 24 national teams from around the globe competing for the title, including defending champions Korea DPR.
The Flamingos will now join the world’s best at the 2026 FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup  taking place in Morocco from October 17 to November 7, 2026.
