CAF president Patrice Motsepe has congratulated Nigeria’s Flamingos after they reached the final of the 2026 FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup in Morocco. He said the team has made Africa and CAF proud.
It is easy to see why. No African side had ever played in the final of this tournament before, so the Flamingos have now written their own piece of history.
The Flamingos got the job done in the semi-final on Wednesday night. They beat Brazil 3-1 in Rabat, though it was not easy early on.
The first half ended goalless, and Brazil looked dangerous. However, Nigeria came out much sharper after the break.
Queen Joseph broke the deadlock in the 56th minute. Then Awawu Bashiru took over, scoring in the 71st and 80th minutes to make it 3-0.
Brazil pulled one back through Greise Kelly in the 89th minute. By then, it was too late, and the Flamingos held on. The route to the final has been far from smooth. Nigeria lost their opening game 2-1 to Poland, which left little room for error.
They did not panic. In fact, they stunned defending champions DPR Korea 3-1 and then beat Mexico 2-1 in the round of 16.
Next came Venezuela in the quarter-finals, and that one needed patience. Azeezat Oduntan scored a penalty in the 89th minute to win it 1-0, after Oluebube Umejiaku was fouled in the box.
As a result, the Flamingos are now in a final, having already set a national record for wins at a single edition.
Motsepe made his congratulations public in a statement on the CAF website on Thursday. He also said he will travel to Rabat to watch the final in person.
Furthermore, he called on all 54 CAF member associations to get behind Nigeria. The message is clear: this is an African story, not just a Nigerian one.
Elsewhere, back home, the support has been loud too. President Bola Tinubu has urged the team to go all the way and win gold.
This goes beyond one result for nigeri. The country has long been a force in African women’s football, but a world final is a new level.
Before this run, the best finish for an African side at this tournament was third place. Ghana did it in 2012, and Nigeria matched it in 2022.
Meanwhile, the Flamingos have now gone one better than all of them. Coach Busari and his girls have changed the story of what an African team can do at this level.
Nigeria now face Japan in the final on Saturday, November 7, in Rabat. Kick-off is set for 18:30 local time.
