Nigeria’s Flamingos revived their qualification hopes at the 2026 FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup in Morocco with a 2-0 victory over Puerto Rico on Tuesday, setting up a crucial final Group B encounter against defending champions North Korea.
Goals from Oluwakemi Adegbuyi and Precious Oscar secured Nigeria’s first three points of the tournament following their opening 2-1 defeat to Poland.
Adegbuyi opened the scoring in the 25th minute, giving the Flamingos a valuable advantage before Oscar sealed the victory in the third minute of stoppage time.
The result provided a timely response from the Nigerian youngsters, who had entered the encounter under pressure to avoid a second consecutive defeat.
However, the Flamingos face a difficult final group assignment against North Korea, who strengthened their position at the top of Group B with a commanding 6-1 victory over Poland on Tuesday.
The defending champions had earlier defeated Puerto Rico 6-0, meaning they have scored 12 goals and conceded just once in their opening two matches.
North Korea lead the group with six points, while Nigeria and Poland have three points each. Puerto Rico remain without a point after two defeats.
Nigeria will face North Korea on Friday, October 23, knowing that a positive result would significantly improve their chances of reaching the knockout stage.
The Flamingos must also keep an eye on the outcome of Poland’s final group match against Puerto Rico, with the remaining results set to determine the final standings.
Oscar’s late goal against Puerto Rico was particularly significant after she had appealed to Nigerian supporters not to lose hope following the defeat to Poland.
With the victory restoring confidence in the squad, Nigeria must now prepare for their biggest challenge of the group stage against a North Korean side that has dominated its opening fixtures.
The Flamingos’ qualification hopes remain alive, but their fate will depend on the final round of Group B matches and the tournament’s progression criteria.
