National Teams
2025 U17 Women’s World Cup qualifier: Kenyan referees to officiate as Nigeria face South Africa
By: Dayo Awoniyi
The highly anticipated clash between Nigeria’s U17 girls, the Flamingos, and South Africa’s Bantwana is set to take place on Saturday, March 8, at the Lucas Moripe Stadium in Pretoria, and will be officiated by Kenyan referee Josephine Wanjiku.
Wanjiku will be supported by fellow Kenyans Mary Njoroge and Elizabeth Njoroge as assistant referees, while Juma Lucy Awino will serve as the fourth official.
Cindy Barbara Dludlu from eSwatini has been appointed as the match commissioner, with Moroccan Khadija Rezzag overseeing the officiating as the referee assessor.
The Flamingos, who reached the quarterfinals of the 2022 FIFA U17 Women’s World Cup in the Dominican Republic, have been in intense preparations for the qualifier.
They will face a tough Bantwana side, who made a dominant statement in the previous round with an impressive 21-2 aggregate victory over Gabon.
The winner of this two-legged encounter will progress to the third round of the qualification campaign, with the ultimate goal of securing one of Africa’s five spots at the 2025 FIFA U17 Women’s World Cup in Morocco.
