Flamingos soar past champions into World Cup last-16

Nigeria’s Flamingos secured a spot in the 2026 FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup round of 16 following a 3-1 victory over defending champions North Korea. The Group B match, held at the Mohammed VI Football Complex in Rabat, Morocco, resulted in Nigeria finishing in second place with six points from three matches. North Korea won the group, while Poland also advanced after finishing third following a 6-2 win over Puerto Rico.

Oluwakemi Adegbuyi opened the scoring in the 15th minute with a solo effort, though Punch Nigeria notes another account credits Mary Dunstan with the assist. Oluebube Umejiaku doubled the lead in the 38th minute after receiving a through ball from Tosin Rafiu, and Kanyisola Yusuf extended the advantage to 3-0 after the halftime break.

North Korea, who previously recorded wins of 6-0 against Puerto Rico and 6-1 against Poland, managed a goal in the 82nd minute. Yu Jong-Hyang converted a penalty after a Nigerian defender handled the ball in the box. The victory followed an opening 2-1 loss to Poland and a 2-0 win against Puerto Rico for the Flamingos.

Brief written by urgent.news from Punch, Punch Nigeria — 2 reports on this story. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.