CAF celebrates as Nigeria’s Flamingos reach 2026 U-17 Women’s World Cup last 16

The Confederation of African Football (CAF) has congratulated Nigeria’s Flamingos after they secured a place in the round of 16 at the 2026 FIFA women’s U-17 World Cup.

Nigeria defeated defending champions North Korea 3-1 in their final Group B fixture on Friday, a result that confirmed their progress to the knockout stage.

Oluwakemi Adegbuyi, Oluebube Umejiaku and Kanyisola Yusuf scored for the Flamingos as they overcame the Koreans to finish second in the group.

North Korea still topped Group B, while Nigeria claimed the runners-up position following their victory. CAF celebrated the result in a post on its X account, writing: “Round of 16, here we come! 🎉🇳🇬.”

The win represented a significant turnaround for coach Akeem Busari’s team, who began the tournament with a 2-1 defeat by Poland.

The Flamingos responded in their second group match by beating Puerto Rico 2-0, before producing their strongest result of the competition so far against North Korea.

In the other Group B match, Poland defeated tournament debutants Puerto Rico 6-2. That result secured Poland third place in the group.

Nigeria’s qualification means the team will continue their campaign in the knockout phase after recovering from their opening-day setback. Their victory over North Korea also ended the group stage with the Flamingos above Poland and Puerto Rico in the standings.

The result prompted further congratulations for the Nigerian squad after they had entered their final group fixture needing a positive outcome to keep their hopes of advancing alive.

North Korea, the defending champions, finished at the top of the section despite losing their final match, while Nigeria moved into the next round in second place.

The Flamingos’ route to the knockout stage has therefore included one defeat and two victories. They scored three goals against North Korea after previously finding the net twice in their 2-0 win over Puerto Rico.

CAF’s message followed the team’s successful conclusion to the group stage, with Nigeria now preparing to continue their 2026 FIFA women’s U-17 World Cup campaign in the round of 16.