Boluwatife Kehinde
Nigeria’s U-17 women’s team, the Flamingos, will leave Abuja in the early hours of Wednesday, October 8, to intensify preparations for the 2025 FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup in Morocco.
The first match against New Zealand is billed for October 10, while the encounter with Paraguay will follow on October 14. Both games are aimed at fine-tuning tactics and evaluating the team’s readiness ahead of the global showpiece.
A statement from the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) confirmed that the team, under the guidance of head coach Bankole Olowookere, will set up camp in Casablanca for their final training phase. During their stay, they will play two high-profile international friendlies against New Zealand and Paraguay.
After their camping exercise, the team will move to Rabat on October 15 and check into the official FIFA hotel that will house all participating nations throughout the tournament.
Nigeria has been placed in Group D, where they will face Canada, France, and Samoa. The Flamingos will begin their World Cup campaign against Canada on October 19 at the Football Academy Mohammed VI (Pitch 2) in Sale, with kickoff at 8 p.m. Nigerian time. They will return to action on October 22 against France at Pitch 1, before rounding off the group stage on October 25 with a 5 p.m. fixture against Samoa at Pitch 3, also in Sale.
Olowookere’s girls go into the tournament in blistering form, having played 10 friendly matches, scored 44 goals, and conceded none. Their flawless preparation run reflects a team growing in confidence, balance, and cohesion.
The Flamingos will be aiming to build on their impressive showing at the last edition where they reached the quarter-finals. This time, they are targeting a deeper run — and possibly Nigeria’s first-ever U-17 Women’s World Cup trophy.
