Nigeria’s Flamingos have reached the final of the FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup for the first time after defeating Brazil 3-1 in their semi-final encounter on Wednesday.

The Nigerian girls produced an impressive second-half performance, with Joseph Quincy opening the scoring before Aminat Bashiru struck twice to secure the historic victory, blueprint reports.

Quincy broke the deadlock in the 56th minute, while Bashiru extended Nigeria’s lead in the 71st minute before completing her brace nine minutes later.

Brazil pulled one back through Greise Kelly in the 89th minute, but the late goal was insufficient to prevent Nigeria from booking their place in Saturday’s final.

The victory guarantees the Flamingos at least a silver medal and marks a significant milestone for Nigerian women’s youth football.

Flamingos recover from opening defeat

Nigeria’s journey to the final has been defined by resilience, having recovered from a 2-1 opening defeat to Poland in Group B.

The Flamingos responded with a 2-0 victory over Puerto Rico in their second group match, with Oluwakemi Adegbuyi and Precious Oscar scoring to keep their qualification hopes alive.

They subsequently delivered one of their most impressive performances of the tournament, defeating defending champions Korea DPR 3-1 to secure progression to the knockout stage.

Adegbuyi opened the scoring in the 15th minute before Umejiaku doubled Nigeria’s advantage in the 38th minute. Kanyinsola Yusuf added a third in the 56th minute, while Yu Jong-hyang scored a late consolation for the Asian side.

The result was particularly significant as Nigeria ended Korea DPR’s unbeaten run in the competition.

Mexico, Venezuela fall to Nigeria

The Flamingos maintained their momentum in the Round of 16, defeating Mexico 2-1 to advance to the quarter-finals.

Umejiaku gave Nigeria the lead in the 40th minute before Mary Dunstan doubled the advantage in the 71st minute. Mexico reduced the deficit through Emily Delgado, but the Nigerian side held on to progress.

Their quarter-final encounter against Venezuela proved more difficult, with both teams struggling to find a breakthrough.

Just when the match appeared to be heading into extra time, captain Azeezat Oduntan converted an 89th-minute penalty to secure a 1-0 victory and send Nigeria into the last four.

The win set up Wednesday’s semi-final clash against Brazil, where the Flamingos produced another determined performance to secure their first-ever appearance in the final.

Nigeria surpasses previous best

Before this year’s achievement, Nigeria’s best performance at the FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup was a third-place finish at the 2022 edition in India.

The Flamingos reached the semi-finals that year but lost to Colombia, before recovering to defeat Germany in the third-place match and claim the bronze medal.

Their 2026 campaign has now taken them beyond that achievement, guaranteeing the country at least a silver medal.

Brazil, meanwhile, were seeking their first appearance in the final after finishing fourth at the 2025 edition.

The South Americans had progressed through difficult knockout encounters, including a penalty shootout victory over Poland and a 2-1 comeback win against China in the quarter-finals, but Nigeria proved too strong in the semi-final.

The Flamingos will now turn their attention to Saturday’s final, where they will seek to crown their historic campaign by winning Nigeria’s first-ever FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup title.