The Confederation of African Football (CAF) has congratulated Nigeria’s Flamingos after the team booked a place in the semifinals of the 2026 FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup in Morocco.
Nigeria secured their place in the last four after a tense 1-0 quarter-final victory over Venezuela on Sunday at the Mohammed VI Football Academy in Salé. Captain Azeezat Oduntan emerged as the hero, converting a late penalty in the 89th minute to seal the win.
The crucial penalty was awarded after Oluebube Umejiaku, the tournament’s leading scorer, was brought down inside Venezuela’s penalty area. The decision was reviewed and upheld by the Video Assistant Referee before Oduntan stepped up to calmly beat the goalkeeper.
CAF Women’s Football celebrated the Flamingos’ achievement in a post on its official X account, praising the Nigerian side for reaching the semifinals.
“The Flamingos are flying into the semis! 🦩🇳🇬 Nigeria edge Venezuela to reach the #U17WWC semi-finals! #AfricanFootball.”
The victory takes Nigeria back to the semifinals of the FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup, matching the country’s previous achievement in 2022, when the Flamingos went on to win the bronze medal.
Nigeria are now the only African team left in the competition following Ghana’s 1-0 defeat to Japan in another quarter-final match.
The Flamingos will face Brazil on Wednesday, November 4, at the Moulay El Hassan Stadium in Rabat, with a place in the final at stake. Brazil reached the semifinals after recovering from an early setback to defeat China 2-1.
Nigeria’s journey to the last four has been marked by a strong recovery following their opening 2-1 defeat to Poland. The Flamingos responded with four consecutive victories, beating Puerto Rico 2-0, defending champions North Korea 3-1, Mexico 2-1 and Venezuela 1-0.
With momentum firmly on their side, the Nigerian U-17 women’s team will now look to overcome Brazil and move one step closer to the FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup title.
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