Nigeria’s Flamingos maintained their perfect run at the 2026 WAFU-B U17 Girls Cup with a commanding 2–0 victory over hosts Côte d’Ivoire in Yamoussoukro on Thursday.
Oluwakemi Adegbuyi gave Nigeria the perfect start when she struck in the fourth minute, putting the Flamingos in front at the Lycée Scientifique.
The early goal allowed Nigeria to settle into the contest as the Flamingos protected their advantage through the remainder of the first half.
Côte d’Ivoire pushed for a response after the restart, but Nigeria remained disciplined and continued to threaten on the counter.
The Flamingos eventually doubled their advantage in the 83rd minute, with Pattra Oparanmegwa finding the back of the net to put Nigeria firmly in control.
The victory extends Nigeria’s perfect record in the competition, with the Flamingos now having won all four of their matches.
Nigeria had earlier opened their campaign with a 5–0 victory over Niger Republic before defeating Ghana 4–2 and overcoming Burkina Faso 2–0.
Against Burkina Faso, Mary Dunstan broke the deadlock in the 82nd minute before Adegbuyi struck in stoppage time to seal the win.
The victory over Côte d’Ivoire therefore represents another impressive display from the Flamingos, who have continued to combine attacking quality with defensive discipline throughout the tournament.
The hosts entered Thursday’s encounter as Nigeria’s closest challengers in the standings, having collected six points from their opening three matches. Côte d’Ivoire had also demonstrated their attacking threat with a 9–0 victory over Niger Republic before facing the Flamingos.
Nigeria, however, maintained their superiority in the decisive encounter, with Adegbuyi’s early strike and Oparanmegwa’s second-half finish securing another three points.
The result takes the Flamingos to 12 points from four matches, strengthening their position at the top of the WAFU-B U17 Girls Cup standings.
Nigeria will now turn their attention to their final fixture of the competition against Guinea, as coach Hakeem Busari’s side look to complete the tournament with another victory.
The WAFU-B competition is also serving as valuable preparation for Nigeria ahead of the 2026 FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup in Morocco, where the Flamingos will compete against North Korea, Puerto Rico and Poland in Group B.
