FIFA U-17 Women's World Cup: Japan to face Nigeria or Brazil in final

Nigeria's U-17 women's football team, known as the Flamingos, secured a historic 3-1 victory over Brazil in their semi-final match at the FIFA U-17 Women's World Cup held in Rabat, Morocco. The game was goalless at halftime. Queen Joseph scored the opening goal in the 56th minute, assisted by Oluwakemi Adegbuyi. Awawu Bashiru doubled the lead for Nigeria in the 71st minute.

Bashiru extended the advantage to 3-1 with a goal in the 80th minute, which came after a pass from Oluebube Umejiaku. Brazil reduced the gap to a single goal through Greise Kelly in the 89th minute. The Nigerian team's coach, Akeem Busari, and his team will face Japan in the final. Coach Busari praised the Flamingos' resilience after their win against Venezuela, who defeated North Korea 4-1 on penalties after a 1-1 draw.

Nigeria reached the semi-finals for the second time in the competition's history, previously doing so in 2022 when they finished third in India. The South American team had fought back from behind, defeating China 2-1 in the quarter-finals and winning 8-7 on penalties to eliminate Poland in the round of 16 following a 3-3 draw. The Flamingos aim to lift the trophy in Morocco on Saturday, November 7, 2026.