Flamingos U-17 World Cup preparations begin in Morocco as Nigeria’s 21-player squad targets a strong campaign against Poland, Puerto Rico and Korea DPR

Nigeria’s Flamingos have arrived in Casablanca, Morocco, ahead of the 2026 FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup as head coach Akeem Busari and his 21-player squad begin their final preparations for the global tournament.

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The Nigerian delegation arrived in Casablanca on Wednesday, October 7, and proceeded to the Ibis Hotel, where the players and technical crew will continue their training programme before travelling to Rabat for their group-stage fixtures.

The arrival marks an important stage in Nigeria’s preparations, with the Flamingos having just over a week to acclimatise to the conditions and fine-tune their tactical approach before their opening match.

Busari has selected 21 players for the tournament, with captain Harmony Chidi leading the squad.

The group includes goalkeepers Jane Ijirigho, Mercy Felix and Onyinyechi Opara.

The defensive options are Elizabeth Adesuyi, Esther Stephen, Chidera Oparanmegwa, Azeezat Oduntan, Opeyemi Sunday, Rodiat Yusuf and Kaosarat Akanji.

In midfield, Busari has Awawu Bashiru, Mary Dustan, Muinat Rotimi, Favour Nkwocha and Shakirat Tobiloba, while the forwards are Tosin Rafiu, Harmony Chidi, Oluebube Umejiaku, Queen Joseph, Precious Oscar and Oluwakemi Adegbuyi.

Nigeria have been drawn in Group B alongside Poland, Puerto Rico and Korea DPR, setting up a demanding first-round campaign.

The Flamingos will begin their tournament against Poland on Saturday, October 17, before facing Puerto Rico on October 20.

Their final group fixture will be against Korea DPR on October 23.

All three matches are scheduled to take place at the Women’s Football Complex in Rabat.

The clash with Korea DPR could prove particularly significant, with the Asian side entering the tournament as defending champions and one of the strongest teams in the competition.

For Nigeria, however, the immediate priority will be making a positive start against Poland and putting themselves in a strong position before the second and third group matches.

The Flamingos travel to Morocco with confidence after an impressive regional campaign.

Nigeria won the 2026 WAFU-B U-17 Girls Cup in Côte d’Ivoire after recording five victories from five matches.

The Flamingos scored 17 goals and conceded just two throughout the competition, underlining the strength of their attack as well as their defensive discipline.

Their campaign began with a commanding 5-0 victory over Niger Republic before further wins against Ghana, Burkina Faso and hosts Côte d’Ivoire.

They completed the competition with a convincing 4-0 victory over Togo in the final.

Captain Harmony Chidi was instrumental in the triumph, scoring twice from the penalty spot before Oluebube Umejiaku and Oluwakemi Adegbuyi completed the emphatic victory.

The tournament provided Busari with valuable competitive preparation ahead of the World Cup and gave several players the opportunity to build confidence before the more demanding challenge in Morocco.

Much of the attention will be on captain Harmony Chidi as the Flamingos begin their World Cup campaign.

Chidi has already demonstrated her importance to the team, scoring five goals during Nigeria’s World Cup qualifying campaign before adding three more during the WAFU-B tournament.

Her attacking ability will be particularly important against opponents capable of defending in numbers and exploiting mistakes on the counter-attack.

The captain will also be expected to provide leadership to a young squad facing the pressure of a major international tournament.

Nigeria secured their place at the World Cup after defeating Benin Republic 5-3 in the second leg of their qualifying tie, completing an 8-5 aggregate victory.

Queen Joseph scored a hat-trick in that decisive second-leg encounter, while Mary Akpan Dunstan and Esther Enne Stephen also found the net.

Nigeria have a proud record at the FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup and will be hoping to improve on their previous best performance.

The Flamingos claimed the bronze medal at the 2022 edition, making the team one of Africa’s established forces at the age-group level.

The latest squad therefore heads to Morocco with ambitions that extend beyond simply reaching the knockout stages.

The immediate objective will be to negotiate a difficult Group B, but the team’s recent form has raised expectations that Nigeria can mount a serious challenge for the latter stages.

Their five-match winning run in the WAFU-B tournament will provide confidence, although the World Cup will present a considerably different level of opposition.

With the tournament fast approaching, Busari’s technical crew will use the remaining days to work on tactical details, assess the players after their journey and help the squad adapt to the Moroccan environment.

The team will also have to ensure that the attacking fluency displayed during the WAFU-B tournament is maintained against more experienced international opponents.

The opening encounter with Poland could set the tone for the entire campaign.

A victory would give Nigeria valuable momentum before the meeting with Puerto Rico, while the final group game against Korea DPR is likely to provide the sternest test of the first round.

The 2026 FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup is scheduled to run from October 17 into November, with Morocco hosting the competition.

For the Flamingos, the journey has now entered its most crucial phase.

After a dominant regional campaign and a successful qualification journey, Nigeria’s young stars have arrived in Morocco with an opportunity to make a powerful statement on the world stage.

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The first test comes against Poland on October 17 in Rabat.