According to a report by FIFA.com on Saturday, November 7, 2026, Nigeria's 16-year-old forward, Oluebube Umejiaku, has expressed her gratitude to God after playing a decisive role in helping the Flamingos win the 2026 FIFA U-17 Women's World Cup in Morocco.

Umejiaku was among the standout performers as Nigeria defeated Japan 2-1 in Saturday's final to claim their maiden title in the competition and become the first African nation to win the FIFA U-17 Women's World Cup.

The young forward scored Nigeria's second goal in the 47th minute, just two minutes after the restart, giving the Flamingos a crucial two-goal advantage in the encounter.

Her goal came after she controlled a superb forward pass from Esther Stephen before calmly lifting the ball over Japan goalkeeper Kou Kadowaki to extend Nigeria's lead.

Awawu Bashiru had earlier opened the scoring for Nigeria in the 39th minute, while Fuki Ito pulled one back for Japan in the 80th minute.

However, the Flamingos held on to secure a historic 2-1 victory.

Speaking after the final, an excited Umejiaku expressed her happiness and thanked God for the remarkable achievement, while acknowledging the difficulties the Nigerian team encountered during the match.

“I feel good, I feel very happy. I thank God for everything. It was very difficult for us but the instructions of the coaches made us put our heads up and just take everything as it comes,” Umejiaku said with so much joy.

“We didn't have to push for the goals, just to keep ourselves up and we needed to encourage ourselves on the field of play,” she added.

Beyond scoring the decisive second goal, Umejiaku was also named Player of the Match for her outstanding performance,

The 16-year-old capped her impressive tournament with another major individual honour after winning the adidas Golden Ball, which recognises the best player of the competition.

Her contribution capped an impressive tournament for the forward, who emerged as one of the leading figures in the Flamingos' successful campaign in Morocco.

The victory represents a landmark achievement for Nigerian women's football and African football as a whole, with the Flamingos becoming the first team from the continent to lift the U-17 Women's World Cup trophy.