Nigeria’s historic triumph at the FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup Morocco 2026 has sent a strong message about the rising strength of African women’s football, with tournament star Oluebube Umejiaku declaring that the Flamingos’ victory is only the beginning.

Umejiaku, who scored the decisive goal in Nigeria’s 2-1 victory over Japan in Saturday’s final in Rabat, made the bold declaration after receiving the adidas Golden Ball as the tournament’s outstanding player.

The forward began the competition on the bench but finished it as one of its defining figures, scoring four goals, including the winner against Japan.

Her journey reflected Nigeria’s remarkable campaign. She came off the bench to score in the opening match against Poland, although the Flamingos suffered a 2-1 defeat. She subsequently found the net against DPR Korea, Mexico and Japan as Nigeria recovered to win the title.

Reflecting on her gradual rise into the starting line-up, Umejiaku said she had continued to pray for her opportunity while supporting those selected to play.

“Every time I went to training and every time I slept, I told God that I’m praying for all the people that are starting. But when I wanted to start, I just told God that it is my time,” she told FIFA after the final.

She also recalled how the opening defeat to Poland became a turning point in the team’s campaign.

“When we lost the first game against Poland, everybody said we needed to wake up because we didn’t come here to look at anybody’s face and we have to take every game as a final. We don’t downgrade anything; we play, and we put our best into every game,” she said.

Another player whose fortunes changed dramatically during the tournament was Awawu Bashiru. Having played only 77 minutes between the opening match and the quarter-final against Venezuela, she was handed her first start against Brazil in the semi-finals.

Bashiru repaid the confidence with two goals in Nigeria’s 3-1 victory over Brazil before opening the scoring in the final against Japan.

The forward attributed the historic achievement to teamwork, discipline and the players’ willingness to follow their coaches’ instructions.

“I’m so happy, I’m so excited, and I’m so grateful. The teamwork, instruction and listening to our coaches is why we got the goals and why we won the final. We are history-makers. We made Nigeria, and the millions of people there, proud,” she said.

Head coach Akeem Busari explained that his changes to the starting line-up were guided by the players’ attitude, commitment and readiness rather than reputation.

“No matter how good you are, I’m a coach that plays on character,” Busari said.

“It’s all about mindset, attitude and merit; if they’re there, you get your playing time. If they’re not there, you’re waiting to come in. As a coach, we want everyone to wire up and play together.”

Nigeria’s victory has made the Flamingos the first African team to win the FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup and the first from the continent to claim a FIFA women’s global title.

The achievement also extended Nigeria’s remarkable record in the boys’ and girls’ U-17 competitions, ensuring that a Nigerian team has won the global title in each of the past five decades.

For Umejiaku, the triumph has broken a barrier and opened the door to further success for African football.

“I’m very happy because now we have broken the chain. In Africa we always win – that’s a promise. We’ve won, and now we’ll be winning and winning, that’s just it. We thank God for everything,” she said.

Bashiru equally promised that Nigeria would return to future competitions with the same determination.

“We can expect more from Nigeria. We are winning, and we’ll bring the same energy, the same zing, at the next U-17 Women’s World Cup,” she added.

Busari described the victory as a turning point for African youth football, saying it demonstrated the continent’s growing ability to compete for honours on the global stage.

“This is a turnaround for Africa. In terms of youth-age football, it’s improving, and here we could really come and compete. Being a champion is going to go a long way to really motivate us, and we are sending a signal, a message to the world that Africa is really coming,” he said.

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