Nigeria’s Flamingos are through to the 2026 FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup.
The U-17 women’s national team defeated Benin Republic 5-3 in the second leg in Lomé to complete an 8-5 aggregate victory and secure one of Africa’s qualification places for the global tournament.
Nigeria had entered the decisive fixture with a narrow 3-2 advantage from the first leg in Ikenne-Remo, but the return match delivered another goal-heavy contest before the Flamingos finished the job.
Mary Akpan Dunstan gave Nigeria an early lead in the sixth minute before Esther Enne Stephen doubled the advantage eight minutes later.
Queen Joseph then took control of the night with a hat-trick, scoring in the 20th, 54th and 75th minutes to keep Nigeria ahead despite Benin Republic’s fightback.
Benin refused to fade from the tie. Romaine Gandonou, who had also scored in the first leg, struck twice in the return match, while Hermionne Lokossou added another goal.
But Nigeria’s attacking power proved decisive across the two legs.
The Flamingos scored eight times over the tie, survived Benin’s pressure and confirmed their place at the 2026 FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup.
For Nigeria, the result is another important marker for the women’s football pipeline below the senior Super Falcons level.
It was not a comfortable qualification route. The Flamingos conceded five goals across both matches and had to stay sharp through a tense second leg.
But when the ticket was on the line, Nigeria had enough firepower, enough control and enough finishing quality to push through.
The Flamingos are World Cup-bound.
