Nigeria’s Flamingos target first FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup final against Brazil

Nigeria’s Flamingos will attempt to reach the FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup final for the first time when they face Brazil in the semi-final in Rabat on Wednesday, 4 November.

The match at the Mohammed VI Football Complex is scheduled to kick off at 18:00 local time (19:00 WAT). Neither nation has previously contested the final, meaning the winners will make history at this tournament.

This will be the third meeting between the teams at the FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup. They drew 2-2 in 2008, before Brazil won 1-0 in 2016. Nigeria are still waiting for their first victory over the South Americans at this level.

The Flamingos have reached the semi-finals once before, taking bronze at India 2022 after losing to Colombia. Brazil’s best finish came in 2025, when they finished fourth.

Nigeria’s campaign began with a 2-1 defeat by Poland, but they responded with four consecutive victories. They beat Puerto Rico 2-0, defeated defending champions DPR Korea 3-1, overcame Mexico 2-1 in the last 16 and edged Venezuela 1-0 in the quarter-finals after Azeezat Oduntan converted an 89th-minute penalty.

Coach Akeem Busari said after the Venezuela victory: “We gave everything on the pitch tonight. We kept pushing until the end. Reaching the semi-finals is a dream come true for me and a great achievement. I’m looking forward to it because I want to make my country proud. We want to give our best in the next match and show everyone what we can do.”

Busari has regularly described his players as “gladiators” because of their never-say-die approach. Forward Oluebube Umejiaku has been among the leading scorers and won the penalty against Venezuela, while captain Oduntan has provided decisive moments. Goalkeeper Jane Ijirigho and midfielder Favour Nkwocha have also been key contributors.

Brazil are unbeaten in Morocco. They topped Group C after beating Canada 6-2, drawing 3-3 with Ghana and defeating Norway 3-0. They then overcame Poland 8-7 on penalties following a 3-3 draw, before recovering from a goal down to beat China 2-1 in the quarter-finals. Helena scored both goals in that match, and nine different Brazilian players have scored during the tournament.

Greise Kelly has three goals and a tournament-high five assists, while Helena remains a significant threat. Goalkeeper Nathy has also made a high number of saves.

Brazil coach Rilany Silva said: “I’m expecting an extremely difficult match. Nigeria are a very physical team. By the 90th minute, they’ll probably still be running as if it were the fifth. We’ll need to be very strategic with our game plan to find ways to hurt Nigeria.”

Umejiaku said the team’s unity would be important: “I’m so happy. I’m very proud of my team – we’re very good. I love my teammates so much… our togetherness is very important.”