According to a report by Flashscore on Friday, October 23, 2026, Nigeria's Flamingos secured a place in the knockout stage of the 2026 FIFA U-17 Women's World Cup following an impressive 3-1 victory over defending champions North Korea in their final Group B encounter.

The Nigerian side delivered an outstanding performance against one of the tournament's strongest teams, collecting three important points to finish their group-stage campaign with six points from three matches.

Despite suffering their first defeat of the competition, North Korea maintained their position at the top of Group B, while Nigeria occupied second place. Poland also accumulated six points but finished third, leaving Puerto Rico at the bottom without a single point.

Nigeria entered their final group fixture knowing that a positive result would significantly improve their chances of progressing to the next round. The Flamingos responded with an attacking display that troubled the North Korean defence throughout the encounter.

Oluwakemi Adegbuyi gave Nigeria the advantage in the 15th minute, providing an early breakthrough that boosted the team's confidence.

Aishat Umejiaku doubled the lead in the 38th minute, ensuring that the Nigerian youngsters went into the halftime interval with a comfortable two-goal advantage.

The Flamingos continued their impressive performance after the restart, with Queen Josephine Yusuf finding the net in the 56th minute to extend Nigeria's lead to three goals.

North Korea eventually reduced the deficit through Yu Jong-hyang, who successfully converted a penalty in the 82nd minute. However, the defending champions could not produce a comeback as Nigeria held on to secure a memorable victory.

Before facing North Korea, Nigeria had experienced mixed results in their opening two matches. They suffered a 2-1 defeat against Poland before recovering with a 2-0 victory over Puerto Rico.

Their latest triumph took their overall points tally to six, placing them level with North Korea and Poland.

North Korea's impressive victories over Puerto Rico and Poland earlier in the competition proved important in determining the final group standings. Their 6-0 success against Puerto Rico and 6-1 victory over Poland helped them finish above their closest rivals under the applicable tiebreaking rules.

Meanwhile, Poland concluded their group-stage campaign with a convincing 6-2 victory against Puerto Rico. Although the European side also recorded two wins, their heavy defeat against North Korea affected their position in the final standings.

Puerto Rico endured a disappointing campaign, losing all three group fixtures and finishing fourth without registering a point.

The final Group B standings placed North Korea first with six points, Nigeria second with six points, Poland third with six points and Puerto Rico fourth with zero points.

Nigeria's qualification represents an important achievement for the Flamingos, particularly after their opening defeat raised concerns about their chances of advancing.

The Nigerian youngsters will now turn their attention to the round of 16, hoping to build on their impressive victory over the defending champions and continue their pursuit of success at the tournament.