Nigeria’s national U-17 women’s team, the Flamingos will take on Guinea in the next stage of the qualifiers for the 2026 FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup qualifier, after the Guineans blew away their Niger counterparts.
Guinea secured the meeting after beating Niger Republic 8-2 on aggregate across two matches. They started strongly with a 5-2 win in the first leg, showing their attacking strength early on. In the return leg, played in Conakry, they completed the job with a comfortable 3-0 victory to seal progression.
That result means Guinea now move on to face Nigeria in what promises to be a tough and exciting contest. The Flamingos had already advanced to this stage and will now prepare to meet a side full of confidence after scoring eight goals in two games.
The tie will be played over two legs in May. Guinea are expected to host the first match between May 22 and 24, while the second leg will take place in Nigeria on May 30. The winner over the two matches will move one step closer to qualifying for the tournament
Flamingos Head coach Akeem Ishola Busari has invited 36 players to camp in Abuja as he looks to build a strong squad for the challenge ahead.
The Flamingos are widely seen as favourites because of their strong history in youth football. They finished third at the 2022 edition of the tournament, becoming the first African team to win a medal at this level. Their consistency over the years has also seen them regularly reach the knockout stages.
However, Guinea’s recent form suggests this will not be an easy task. Their free-scoring display against Niger shows they have players capable of troubling any defence. Nigeria will need to dig deep to disarm a determined Guinea.
The winner of this tie will advance to the final round of African qualifiers. The ultimate goal however is a place at the World Cup, which will be held in Morocco from October 17 to November 7, 2026.
