Nigeria’s Flamingos have secured their place at the FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup Morocco 2026 after defeating Benin 5-3 in an action-packed second-leg qualifier, sealing an 8-5 aggregate victory.
Carrying a slim 3-2 advantage from the first leg, the Flamingos delivered another impressive attacking performance in Cotonou to book their ticket to the tournament.
The visitors wasted little time asserting themselves, with Mary Akpan Dunstan opening the scoring in the sixth minute. Esther Enne Stephen doubled Nigeria’s lead eight minutes later before Queen Joseph added a third in the 20th minute, giving the Flamingos a comfortable 3-0 cushion at the break.
Benin came out stronger in the second half, reducing the deficit through Hermionne Lokossou before Romaine Gandonou netted her second goal of the game to keep the hosts in contention.
Nigeria, however, quickly regained control as Queen Joseph struck again in the 54th minute before completing her hat-trick with another goal in the 75th minute, effectively ending Benin’s hopes of a comeback.
Despite Benin’s determination until the final whistle, Nigeria’s clinical finishing proved decisive as the Flamingos wrapped up qualification in style.
The result sends Nigeria to Morocco for the 2026 FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup, where the Flamingos will look to build on their strong qualifying campaign and compete for international success once again.
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