Flamingos of Nigeria head coach Akeem Busari has warned his players against underestimating Venezuela ahead of their 2026 FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup quarter-final clash in Morocco on Sunday, November 1.

Nigeria will face the South Americans at the Mohammed VI Football Complex Pitch 4 in Rabat, with a place in the semi-finals at stake.

Naija News reports that the Flamingos booked their quarter-final ticket with a 2-1 win over Mexico in Thursday’s round-of-16 encounter in Salé, while Venezuela advanced after securing a 1-0 win over Germany, one of the tournament favourites.

Speaking to FIFA, Busari acknowledged Venezuela’s quality and insisted that his players must approach the encounter with the right mentality.

“What I normally say is that every team in the competition is a contender; everyone could be a champion. Venezuela won their game \[against Germany\], so they are a good side. But Nigeria are too, so on the day it’ll be decided over 90 minutes, and we’ll all give our best,” he said.

Meanwhile, goalkeeper Jane Bubemi Ijirigho is expected to play a crucial role in Nigeria’s push for a semi-final place after producing an impressive performance against Mexico.

The 1.92m-tall Nasarawa Amazons goalkeeper made several important saves to preserve Nigeria’s advantage, including an early stop to deny Mexico captain Citlalli Reyes.

She also tipped Kemberly Garcia’s long-range effort onto the crossbar to prevent Mexico from finding an equaliser.

Ijirigho expressed delight with her contribution and praised her teammates for their collective effort.

“I was very happy to make the save. The team did very well. Honestly, I’m very proud of them. We came out with a great team spirit, and we know we have the quality,” she said.

Busari also praised the goalkeeper’s consistency, highlighting her mentality and commitment to representing Nigeria.

“She’s awesome. She has been fantastic in every tournament. She has a great mentality, and she really wants to do her bit. She’s enjoying doing her best for Nigeria,” he said.

Sunday’s quarter-final clash between the Flamingos and Venezuela will kick off at 5pm Nigerian time.

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