{
  "id": 18796917,
  "title": "Flamingos’ Umejiaku named U-17 World Cup best player",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/11/07/flamingos-umejiaku-named-u-17-world-cup-best-player",
  "topic": "culture",
  "section": "Culture",
  "published": "2026-11-07T22:00:52.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Punch Nigeria",
    "slug": "punch-nigeria",
    "url": "https://punchng.com/flamingos-umejiaku-named-u-17-world-cup-best-player/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Nigeria’s U-17 Women’s World Cup-winning forward, Oluebube Umejiaku, has been awarded the Golden Ball as the tournament’s best player. The 16-year-old forward, who plays for Heartland Queens, led her team to a historic victory, marking Nigeria’s first win in any FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup edition. The Flamingos triumphed over Japan 2-1 in the final at the Mohammed VI Football Complex in Morocco, becoming the first African country to clinch the title. Umejiaku’s decisive contributions included scoring three goals and providing two assists, with her goal against Japan sealing the victory in the 47th minute. Her exceptional performance earned her the Golden Ball, recognizing her as the tournament’s standout performer.",
  "summary": "Nigeria’s Oluebube Umejiaku has been named the best player of the 2026 FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup after helping the Flamingos win their maiden title in the competition. Read More: https://punchng.com/flamingos-umejiaku-named-u-17-world-cup-best-player/",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 3,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "This Day",
        "title": "M4STV To Beam Flamingos Vs Japan U-17 World Cup Final Live Today",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/11/07/m4stv-to-beam-flamingos-vs-japan-u-17-world-cup-final-live-today",
        "published": "2026-11-07T08:40:00.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "Premium Times",
        "title": "Japan vs Nigeria LIVE UPDATES: Flamingos chase historic U-17 World Cup title",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/11/07/japan-vs-nigeria-live-updates-flamingos-chase-historic-u-17-world-cup",
        "published": "2026-11-07T16:43:35.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}