Flamingos Eye Historic First Final Against Brazil After Venezuela Victory

By Nancy Simire

Nigeria’s U-17 women’s national team, the Flamingos, have taken another significant step at the 2026 FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup after defeating Venezuela 1-0 to secure a place in the semi-finals for the second time in the country’s history.

The Flamingos sealed their place in the last four following a hard-fought quarter-final victory at the Mohammed VI Football Academy in Salé, Morocco, on Sunday, with captain Azeezat Oduntan converting an 89th-minute penalty to settle the encounter.

Nigeria had dominated much of the contest but struggled to find a breakthrough against a determined Venezuelan defence. However, top scorer Oluebube Umejiaku won a late penalty after being brought down inside the box, allowing Oduntan to step forward and calmly send the goalkeeper the wrong way.

The victory was a deserved reward for a team that has shown impressive resilience, determination and character throughout the competition, particularly after recovering from an opening-day defeat to Poland.

The Flamingos began their campaign with a 2-1 loss to Poland but responded with a 2-0 victory over Puerto Rico before producing one of their most impressive performances of the tournament, defeating defending champions Korea DPR 3-1.

They continued their progress with a 2-1 win over Mexico in the Round of 16 before overcoming Venezuela to book their semi-final ticket.

The team’s ability to bounce back from their opening defeat and record four consecutive victories deserves recognition, with their performances reflecting the discipline, fighting spirit and attacking quality within the squad.

Head coach Akeem Busari praised his players for their determination after the victory, saying: “We gave everything on the pitch tonight. We wanted to keep the ball and play our game, but we made some mistakes. Still, we kept pushing until the very end.”

Busari described reaching the semi-finals as “a dream come true” and a great achievement, adding that the team would give its best in the next match to make the country proud.

Even in defeat, Venezuela head coach Dayana Frías acknowledged Nigeria’s victory, admitting that her side paid for a costly mistake.

“It was a good performance overall, but I think we made one mistake and paid for it,” Frías told FIFA, while describing her team’s experience at the tournament as beautiful and rewarding.

The Flamingos will now turn their attention to Brazil, who secured a 2-1 comeback victory over China to set up Wednesday’s semi-final encounter at the Moulay El Hassan Stadium in Rabat.

Nigeria’s previous semi-final appearance came at the 2022 edition in India, where the team went on to claim the bronze medal after defeating Germany in a penalty shootout.

A victory over Brazil would therefore take the Flamingos into the FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup final for the first time in history, giving the young Nigerian side an opportunity to surpass its previous best achievement and make another memorable chapter in the country’s women’s football history.