Nigeria’s Flamingos returned to Abuja on Monday following their historic triumph at the FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup in Morocco, where they claimed the country’s first-ever title in the competition.
The team arrived at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport in the early hours of Monday and were welcomed by officials of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) and enthusiastic supporters.
Speaking after their arrival, head coach Akeem Busari attributed the team’s success to tactical adjustments, improved defensive organisation and a stronger winning mentality throughout the tournament.
Busari explained that the technical crew deliberately worked on ensuring the players avoided depending on penalty shootouts, drawing confidence from their impressive qualifying campaign, where they won all their matches within regulation time.
“Looking at the history from the World Cup and looking at the team when we were playing in the qualifiers, we won all our games in 90 minutes,” he said.
He noted that changes to the team’s defensive approach and mentality played a significant role in transforming their performances as the competition progressed.
“We changed the defence. The approach was changed, the mentality was changed, and that’s what changed the narrative,” Busari stated.
Reflecting on Saturday’s final against Japan, the coach disclosed that his technical crew identified the opponents’ ability to win second balls and exploit spaces behind defensive lines as a major threat.
He said the Flamingos adjusted their strategy by directing the ball into open spaces rather than areas where Japanese players could easily regain possession.
According to him, the technical crew recognised that Japan’s players were quicker in recovering loose balls and therefore instructed the Nigerian players to avoid playing directly into their opponents’ preferred areas.
Busari also described the team’s achievement as the product of consistent development, determination and character rather than luck.
“What we have seen is not a fluke. It’s about development, it’s about character, it’s about fighting from the beginning to get it right. So we are elated and we are happy,” he said.
Meanwhile, Flamingos captain Harmony Chidi expressed gratitude to her teammates, coaches and supporters for their contributions to the historic achievement.
“I thank my teammates, the coaching staff, everybody that was praying for us. We are so, so happy that at least we came back with the trophy for the first time,” she said.
Chidi recalled that the team’s opening defeat at the tournament served as a wake-up call, motivating the players to work harder and remain united in their pursuit of the title.
She explained that the early setback reminded the players of the level of commitment required to compete at the global tournament and encouraged them to support one another throughout the competition.
The Flamingos secured the historic title with a 2-1 victory over Japan in Saturday’s final. Awawu Bashiru and Oluebube Umejiaku scored the decisive goals to hand Nigeria its first FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup trophy.
The triumph also made Nigeria the first African nation to win the tournament since its introduction.
Before heading to Morocco, the Flamingos had demonstrated their quality by winning the 2026 WAFU-B U-17 Girls Cup in Côte d’Ivoire, finishing the competition with five victories from five matches, 17 goals scored and just one conceded.
