Nigeria’s U-17 women’s national team, the Flamingos, will face Mexico today in the Round of 16 of the 2026 FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup in Morocco, with a quarter-final ticket at stake.
The Nigerian side head into the knockout encounter with renewed confidence following an impressive 3–1 victory over defending champions North Korea in their final group-stage match.
The win secured Nigeria’s qualification for the knockout stage, finishing second in Group B with six points.
The Flamingos began their campaign with a 2–1 defeat to Poland before bouncing back with a 2–0 victory over Puerto Rico and the crucial win against North Korea.
In the encounter, Oluwakemi Adegbuyi opened the scoring in the 15th minute, while Oluebube Umejiaku doubled Nigeria’s lead in the 38th minute. Kanyinsola Yusuf added a third with a free-kick in the 56th minute before North Korea scored a late consolation from the penalty spot.
Mexico also finished second in Group F with six points. The North Americans recovered from a 2–0 loss to Spain with a 3–1 victory over Chile before edging Australia 1–0, courtesy of captain Citlalli Reyes’ decisive goal.
Ahead of the encounter, Acting General Secretary of the Nigeria Football Federation, Dr Emmanuel Ikpeme, visited the Flamingos during training in Rabat and urged the players to remain focused and determined.
Head coach Hakeem Busari has also charged the team to put their group-stage achievements behind them and prepare for the demands of knockout football.
The fixture brings back memories of the 2014 FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup, where Nigeria defeated Mexico 3–0 in the group stage.
The Flamingos will be hoping to build on their bronze-medal finish at the 2022 edition in India, while Mexico will draw confidence from their bronze-medal achievement at the 2025 tournament.
The match is scheduled to kick off at 4 p.m. Nigerian time, with the winner advancing to the quarter-finals.
