By Tejiri Omoefe
Nigeria’s Flamingos have qualified for the round of 16 at the 2026 FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup in Morocco after defeating defending champions North Korea 3-1 in their final Group B fixture on Friday.
The Flamingos secured second place in the group with the victory, scoring twice through Oluwakemi Adegbuyi and Oluebube Umejiaku before adding a second-half goal from Kanyinsola Yusuf, before Jong Hyang Yu netted a late consolation for North Korea.
Adegbuyi opened the scoring in the 15th minute after running on to a floated pass from the left, cutting inside the box and slotting the ball past the goalkeeper.
Nigeria doubled their lead in the 38th minute when OluebubeUmejiaku was played through on goal and fired past the advancing goalkeeper to give the Flamingos a comfortable advantage at half-time.
The Nigerian girls continued their attacking display after the break, with Yusuf making it 3-0 in the 56th minute through a brilliant free kick.
North Korea reduced the deficit with eight minutes remaining through Yu, whose goal was awarded after a Video Assistant Referee (VAR) review, but the Flamingos held on to secure all three points.
The victory was crucial for Nigeria, who needed a positive result after losing 2-1 to Poland in their opening match before recovering with a 2-0 win over debutants Puerto Rico.
Despite the defeat, North Korea finished top of Group B after winning their first two matches, beating Puerto Rico 6-0 and Poland 6-1.
In the group’s other fixture, played simultaneously, Poland defeated Puerto Rico 6-2 to finish third.
Nigeria’s victory over the defending champions ensured the Flamingos advanced to the knockout stage in second place, keeping their hopes of a successful campaign alive.
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