Nigeria’s Flamingos have booked their place in the quarter-finals of the 2026 FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup after defeating Mexico 2-1 in their Round of 16 encounter on Thursday.

The Nigerian youngsters took control of the contest before the interval, with Oluebube Umejiaku opening the scoring in the 40th minute to give head coach Hakeem Busari’s side a 1-0 advantage at half-time.

Umejiaku’s goal rewarded Nigeria’s efforts in the opening period and put them in a favourable position as they pursued a place in the last eight.

The Flamingos maintained their advantage after the restart and continued their pursuit of another goal to strengthen their grip on the encounter.

Their persistence paid off in the 72nd minute when Mary Akpan Dunstan found the back of the net to extend Nigeria’s lead to 2-0.

Dunstan’s goal gave the Flamingos a comfortable advantage as they moved closer to securing qualification for the next round of the competition.

However, Mexico pulled a goal back through Emily Delgado in the tenth minute of stoppage time, making the closing stages tense for the Nigerian side.

Despite the late goal, Nigeria held on to secure a 2-1 victory and confirm their place in the quarter-finals.

The result represents another important achievement for Nigeria, who entered the knockout stage with confidence after recording a 3-1 win over defending champions North Korea in their final group-stage fixture.

Busari’s team carried that momentum into their meeting with Mexico, with goals from Umejiaku and Dunstan proving decisive in their progression to the last eight.

Nigeria will now turn their attention to the quarter-finals, where they are scheduled to face Venezuela on Sunday, November 1, as they continue their pursuit of the FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup title.

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