Flamingos Crowned WAFU-B U17 Girls Cup Champions After Perfect Run

Nigeria’s U17 women’s national team, the Flamingos, have been crowned champions of the WAFU-B U17 Girls Cup in Yamoussoukro, Côte d’Ivoire, after defeating Togo 4-0 in the final on Sunday.

The victory earned Coach Akeem Busari’s side their fifth consecutive win in the tournament, having scored 17 goals and conceded just two across all five matches.

Captain Harmony Chidi scored twice from the penalty spot in the first half, while Oluebube Umejiaku added a third in the 67th minute. Oluwakemi Adegbuyi completed the emphatic victory with a goal in the 90th minute.

The Flamingos began their campaign with a 5-0 victory over Niger Republic before defeating arch-rivals Ghana 4-2. They followed up with a 2-0 win against Burkina Faso and another 2-0 triumph over hosts Côte d’Ivoire before sealing the title against Togo.

Reacting to the team’s achievement, Acting General Secretary of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF), Dr Emmanuel Ikpeme, praised the players and officials for their outstanding performance, saying they had made the nation proud.

Ikpeme expressed confidence that the team could achieve further success at the FIFA U17 Women’s World Cup in Morocco, which is scheduled to begin next month. He described winning all five matches as a remarkable achievement and said the tournament had provided valuable preparation for the global competition.

The NFF official also commended the WAFU-B headquarters for organising the tournament, noting that the Flamingos had benefited immensely from the competition ahead of the World Cup.

The victorious Flamingos, who won bronze at the 2022 FIFA U17 Women’s World Cup, are expected to return to Nigeria on Tuesday.