Nigeria’s U-17 women’s national team is intensifying its build-up to the next phase of the FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup qualifiers with two friendly matches scheduled for this weekend in Abuja.
The young Flamingos will take on Generation Next on Saturday, April 25, before facing Nazareth Queens on Sunday, April 26. Both matches are set to kick off at 4pm at the Goal Project in Abuja.
Camp activities are already in full swing, with the majority of invited players now settled at Serob Legacy Hotel. The atmosphere is described as focused and energetic, as the technical crew continues to assess the squad and fine-tune tactics ahead of competitive action.
These friendlies form a crucial part of Nigeria’s preparations for their second-round qualifier against Guinea, where the team will aim to secure a place in the next stage of the campaign.
The focus remains qualification for the 2026 FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup, scheduled to take place in Morocco from October 17 to November 7. With the stakes rising, this weekend’s matches offer a valuable opportunity for the coaching staff to evaluate player fitness, cohesion, and match readiness.
As the journey toward Morocco gathers momentum, all eyes will be on Abuja this weekend to see how Nigeria’s future stars shape up.
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.
