Nigeria’s U-17 women’s national team, the Flamingos, booked their place at the 2026 FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup after defeating Benin 5-3 in the second leg of their qualifying tie on Saturday in Togo.
The victory secured an 8-5 aggregate triumph for the Flamingos, who had edged the first leg 3-2 in Ikenne last week.
Nigeria made a bright start as Mark Akpan opened the scoring in the sixth minute before Benin responded through Romaine Gandonou five minutes later. Esther Enne Stephen restored Nigeria’s lead in the 15th minute, while Queen Joseph extended the advantage four minutes later.
The Flamingos increased their lead early in the second half through a penalty in the 54th minute. Benin fought back with goals from Hermionne Lokossou in the 56th minute and Gandonou’s second of the match in the 64th minute to threaten a comeback.
However, Queen Joseph struck again in the 76th minute to seal Nigeria’s impressive 5-3 victory and confirm the Flamingos’ qualification for the 2026 FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup.
The result underlines Nigeria’s dominance over the two-legged tie as the Flamingos continued their impressive record in FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup qualifiers.
