Hakeem Busari: Falmingos boss applauds team spirit and form at U-17 Women’s World Cup

Nigeria U-17 women’s team head coach, Hakeem Busari, has praised his players’ attitude and resilience following their impressive run at the 2026 FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup in Morocco.

The Flamingos pipped Venezuela 1-0 to book a place in the semi-finals after both teams recovered from defeats in their opening group matches to progress in the competition.

Nigeria suffered a heavy defeat to Poland in their opening fixture, leaving their Group B campaign under pressure. However, they responded with a narrow victory over Puerto Rico before producing a remarkable 3-1 triumph over two-time defending champions DPR Korea.

Busari credited his players for their determination, describing them as the driving force behind the team’s progress.

“I give kudos to the players because they are the gladiators. They made it happen. We can only give instructions and look at the analysis.

“We needed to get a goal, to win the game, to show character, to be positive. Immediately when we get a goal, we didn’t show any complacency and we still wanted to play. The act of a gladiator is their never-say-die attitude,” Busari told FIFA.

The victory over DPR Korea earned Nigeria a place in the knockout rounds, where they faced Mexico in the round of 16. The Mexicans had also lost their opening match but recovered to win their next two group fixtures.

Reflecting on Nigeria’s performance against Mexico, Busari acknowledged that his side could have been more clinical but praised the players for their overall contribution.

“Really, every game is important, so we really want to put in the same mentality, the same approach, the same effort.

“We were not that excellent [versus Mexico], we should have gotten more goals and they had their own chances too, because they’re no pushovers – they’re a good side. But our contributions were right,” he said.

Nigeria, bronze medallists at the 2022 edition in India, continued their good run at the tournament with a 1-0 win thanks to Azeezat Oduntan’s late penalty over Venezuela, a side that advanced as one of the best third-placed teams after losing two group matches. Venezuela, however, boosted their confidence with a surprise victory over Germany in the round of 16.

The Flamingos maintained their momentum and secured a place in the semi-finals as they continue their pursuit of another strong finish at the global tournament.