Busari tells Nigeria’s Flamingos to stay focused after North Korea win

Flamingos head coach Akeem Busari has warned Nigeria’s players against complacency after their 3-1 victory over defending champions North Korea secured a place in the last 16 of the 2026 FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup.

Nigeria recovered from a slow start to the tournament with an impressive performance on Friday, overcoming North Korea to reach the knockout stage.

The Flamingos will face the runners-up in Group F for a place in the quarter-finals. Australia, Mexico and Chile are still competing for that position.

Busari was pleased with the result but said his young squad must improve further if they are to continue their progress in the competition.

“It was one of the most difficult matches that we’ve played so far. We were up against a real team of champions,” Busari told FIFA.

“We played well, but the girls are young, and I certainly don’t want them to get carried away.”

The Nigeria coach expects the challenge to become tougher from this point, and called on his players to show greater strength of character and intensity.

“The matches are going to get more difficult,” he said. “We want to show more character, mentality and intensity in our play.”

Busari also stressed the importance of maintaining discipline and respect as the Flamingos prepare for their next match.

“We have to make sure we don’t become complacent,” he added. “We respect the game, the referees and the rules; that’s how we’ll keep progressing.”