Flamingos of Nigeria Arrive in Morocco For U-17 World Cup

Nigeria’s Under-17 women’s national team, the Flamingos, have arrived in Rabat, Morocco, ahead of their opening match against Poland at the 2026 FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup.

Head coach Akeem Busari and his 21-player squad travelled from Casablanca to the Moroccan capital after an evening training session and have begun recovery activities ahead of their Group B campaign.

The Flamingos will face Poland on Saturday, October 17, at the Mohammed VI Football Complex, with kick-off scheduled for 8pm local time.

Nigeria will then take on Puerto Rico on October 20 before concluding their group-stage campaign against the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea on October 23.

The team will be based at the Complexe Sportif Feminin in Rabat for the tournament.

Busari said the technical crew had focused on identifying talented players and equipping them with discipline, tactical awareness and a strong understanding of the game.

He described football as a game requiring passion, strength and discipline, adding that the coaching staff had worked to prepare the players for the challenges ahead.

The coach also expressed confidence in the team’s readiness to represent Nigeria, stressing that the players would approach every opponent with respect.

“We want to make Nigeria proud,” Busari said, adding that the team would approach every match with the right mentality and tactics.

The Flamingos qualified for the tournament after winning the WAFU-B U-17 Girls Cup and will hope to improve on Nigeria’s third-place finish at the 2022 edition.

The 2026 FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup will run from October 17 to November 7 in Morocco.