Nigeria’s U-17 girls’s group, the Flamingos, will start their 2025 FIFA U-17 Ladies’s World Cup journey on Sunday towards Canada on the Mohammed VI Soccer Academy in Salé.
This match marks the second time the 2 nations have met at this degree; their earlier assembly resulted in a 1–1 draw.
Now, with either side extra developed and ambitions greater, the Flamingos arrive beneath coach Bankole Olowookere with perception sharpened by sturdy preparations.
Rigorous preparation
The Flamingos travelled earlier to Morocco and have been primarily based in Rabat forward of the event. Their buildup included a number of warm-up matches, throughout which they confirmed attacking fluency, scoring freely and demonstrating depth and tactical flexibility.
Amongst these was a tense 3–2 win over Paraguay, including confidence forward of their World Cup kick-off.
Nigeria are drawn into Group D alongside Canada, France, and Samoa—a pool that fuels an excessive amount of optimism with the Nigerian ladies tipped to tug by.
Matches versus France and Samoa will comply with the Flamingos’ opener towards Canada.
This version of the U-17 Ladies’s World Cup runs from 17 October to eight November, with Morocco because the host. It’s the ninth version and the primary hosted in Africa.
The 2025 event additionally introduces a brand new format with 24 groups collaborating, making every match important as third-place groups might qualify for the knockout rounds.
Keys to Sunday’s Match
In dealing with Canada, the Flamingos should steadiness ambition with pragmatism. Canada’s youth groups are usually well-organised, bodily strong, and tactically disciplined—traits that might unsettle speed-based assaults.
Previous youth tournaments have proven African sides battle beneath sustained bodily strain from CONCACAF opponents.
For Nigeria, self-discipline, defensive solidity, and sharp ending shall be essential. Coach Olowookere’s most popular type—excessive urgent and fluid attacking—has characterised their preparatory matches.
If his prices can keep composure when beneath strain and convert alternatives, they may announce themselves strongly in Group D.
Extra than simply aiming to flee the group, Nigeria enters this event with greater targets in thoughts.
In 2022, the Flamingos secured a bronze medal in India, turning into certainly one of solely two African groups ever to medal on the U-17 Ladies’s World Cup.
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In the newest version within the Dominican Republic, they exited on the quarterfinal stage.
The squad will view Sunday’s match as a press release of intent—each to their group rivals and the broader world.
If they begin sturdy, it’ll put strain on Canada, France, and Samoa, and provides Nigeria a platform to make a severe run.
The Flamingos are not newcomers to international youth tournaments—they now carry expertise, expectation, and perception.
