Nigeria’s U-17 women’s national team, the Flamingos, moved within touching distance of qualification for the 2026 FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup after edging Benin Republic 3-2 in the first leg of their final qualifying tie at the Remo Stars Sports Complex in Ikenne on Saturday, Trybal News reports.
A thrilling contest saw the Flamingos twice come from behind before Kindness Ifeanyi struck the decisive winner in the second half to hand Nigeria a slender advantage ahead of next week’s return leg.
The victory continues the impressive qualifying campaign of Akeem Busari’s side, who reached the final round after demolishing Guinea 11-0 on aggregate, recording 5-0 and 6-0 victories in both legs. Benin, meanwhile, booked their place after eliminating Sierra Leone 5-1 on aggregate, setting up an all-West African battle for a place at the global showpiece.
The visitors stunned the home crowd in the 16th minute when Romaine Gandonou embarked on a brilliant solo run before finishing confidently to give Benin an early lead.
Nigeria responded in positive fashion and restored parity nine minutes later as Queen Joseph rose highest inside the penalty area to head home the equaliser and send the teams into the break level at 1-1.
The Flamingos returned from halftime with greater intensity and were rewarded in the 62nd minute. Oluwakemi Adegbuyi reacted quickest after the Benin goalkeeper could only parry Kindness Ifeanyi’s initial effort, tapping into an empty net to put Nigeria in front.
Benin refused to go away and levelled once again through Nazifatou Dangui, ensuring the tie remained finely poised.
However, the Flamingos had the final say. In the 75th minute, Ifeanyi reacted sharply inside the box to calmly slot home what proved to be the winning goal, giving Nigeria a deserved 3-2 victory.
The result leaves the Flamingos with a narrow one-goal advantage ahead of the decisive second leg, where they will aim to seal qualification for the 2026 FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup in Morocco.
The tournament will be staged from 17 October to 8 November 2026, with the aggregate winner of the tie securing one of Africa’s qualification places.
