By Emeka Dennar
Nigeria’s U-17 girls, the Flamingos, secured their place at the 2026 FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup after defeating Benin Republic 5-3 in the second leg of their final qualifying tie in Lomé on Saturday.
The victory saw the Flamingos progress with an 8-5 aggregate score after edging the first leg 3-2 in Ikenne, Ogun State, a week earlier.
Determined not to leave anything to chance, Akeem Busari’s side started brightly and took the lead just six minutes into the contest through Mary Dustan. Benin Republic responded almost immediately, drawing level three minutes later to keep the contest finely balanced.
Nigeria, however, quickly regained control, with Esther Stephen restoring the Flamingos’ lead in the 15th minute before Queen Joseph added a third five minutes later, giving the visitors a comfortable 3-1 advantage within the opening 20 minutes.
The Beninese girls refused to give up and fought hard to stay in the game, but the Flamingos showed their quality and composure when it mattered most. With the hosts pushing for a way back, Queen Joseph struck again in the 76th minute to complete her brace and help seal a 5-3 win on the day.
The result confirmed Nigeria’s qualification for the FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup in Morocco, where the Flamingos will once again test themselves against the best young talents from around the world as they continue to strengthen their growing reputation on the global stage.
