Nigeria’s Flamingos have secured a place in the knockout stage of the 2026 FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup after defeating defending champions North Korea 3-1 in their final Group B fixture.
The Nigerian side recorded the victory on Friday at the Mohammed VI Football Complex in Salé, Morocco, to finish second in the group and advance to the next round.
The Flamingos went into the encounter needing a victory to guarantee qualification after losing to Poland in their second group match. They had earlier opened their campaign with a 2-0 win over Puerto Rico.
Akeem Busari’s side delivered an impressive performance, with Oluwakemi Adegbuyi opening the scoring in the 15th minute.
Oluebube Umejiaku doubled Nigeria’s advantage in the 38th minute after exploiting North Korea’s high defensive line before slotting the ball past the goalkeeper.
Kanyisola Yusuf further strengthened Nigeria’s position with a third goal in the 56th minute, giving the Flamingos a commanding lead.
North Korea reduced the deficit through a penalty in the 82nd minute, but Nigeria held firm in the closing stages to preserve their advantage and secure all three points.
The result saw Nigeria finish second in Group B behind North Korea, who claimed the top spot on goals scored.
Poland finished third despite ending the group stage level on points with the top two teams.