Morocco 2026: Flamingos Reach Final Qualifying Round, Receive N4.5m Reward From Soname

Nigeria’s U-17 women’s national team, the Flamingos, have booked their place in the final qualifying round for the 2026 FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup after completing an emphatic 11-0 aggregate victory over Guinea.

Having secured a commanding 5-0 first-leg win in Abidjan, the Flamingos delivered another dominant display in the return fixture at Ikenne, thrashing Guinea 6-0 to underline their superiority and continue their march towards Morocco 2026.

The hosts wasted little time asserting themselves, with Oluwakemi Adegbuyi opening the scoring in the ninth minute after connecting with a well-delivered cross from Queen Joseph. Captain Harmony Chidi doubled Nigeria’s advantage with a brilliant long-range effort before Joseph got on the scoresheet herself in the 23rd minute.

Adegbuyi completed her brace in the 32nd minute with a well-taken header, while Chidi added her second goal of the afternoon two minutes later to give the Flamingos a comfortable 5-0 lead before halftime.

Nigeria maintained the pressure after the break, and substitute Precious Oscar rounded off the scoring in the 70th minute, sealing a comprehensive 6-0 victory and an 11-0 aggregate triumph.

The Flamingos will now face the Benin Republic in the third and final round of the qualifiers, with a place at the 2026 FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup in Morocco at stake.

In recognition of the team’s impressive performance, Remo Stars and Beyond Limits proprietor Kunle Soname fulfilled his promise of rewarding the players with N750,000 for every goal scored.

With six goals recorded in the return leg, Soname redeemed his pledge by presenting the Flamingos with a total reward of N4.5 million, further boosting the team’s morale ahead of their decisive qualifying clash against the Beninese side.

Samuel Ahmadu

Samuel Ahmadu is a distinguished multimedia journalist and women's football expert with over 15 years of experience in the industry. On the back of domestic engagement since 2008, he began his international career journey at Goal.com in February 2014, where he served as an African women's football correspondent for nearly eight years. During his tenure at Goal.com, Samuel covered major events such as three Women's Africa Cup of Nations (2016, 2018, 2022) and the 2015 FIFA Women's World Cup in Canada plus 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia. His work at Goal.com earned him widespread acclaim, particularly for his in-depth profiles of African football stars, notably Asisat Oshoala, whose rise he documented from her early years to her breakthrough at the FIFA U20 Women's World Cup in 2014. Prior to his role at Goal.com, Samuel freelanced for various print and broadcast media outlets in Nigeria, including Graphics Newspaper, Radio Nigeria, Grace FM, and Savid Newspaper. His extensive experience and expertise led to his appointment to the Nigeria Football Federation's Standing Committee on Women's Football Development from 2016 to 2018. Since February 2018, Samuel has been the Social Media Manager for Nigeria's women's national teams.In 2019, Samuel joined the Confederation of African Football (CAF) as a women's football content contributor and was promoted to Women's Football Editor in 2021. His contributions to women's football continued as he worked as a Media Consultant for Content Creation and Editorials at the 2022 CAF Women's Champions League. Currently, Samuel also serves as the spokesman for the Nigeria Women Football League, further solidifying his influence and dedication to the growth of women's football in Africa.

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