According to a report by FIFA.com on Saturday, October 17, 2026, Nigeria’s Flamingos suffered a 2-1 defeat to Poland in their opening Group B match at the ongoing 2026 FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup in Morocco on Saturday.

The Nigerian U-17 women’s team struggled to recover after conceding twice, with Wiktoria Skrzypczak and Natalia Skrok scoring for Poland before Oluebube Umejiaku pulled one back for the Flamingos.

Poland took the lead in the 33rd minute when Skrzypczak converted a penalty to put her team ahead.

The goal gave the European side an advantage heading into the closing stages of the first half.

The Polish team doubled their lead in the 65th minute through Skrok, leaving Nigeria with a two-goal deficit to overcome.

The Flamingos responded in the 79th minute when Umejiaku found the net to reduce the deficit and give Nigeria hope of salvaging a result.

However, the Nigerian side could not find an equalizer before the final whistle, as Poland held on to secure all three points.

The defeat leaves Nigeria with work to do in their remaining Group B fixtures as they seek to progress to the knockout stage of the competition.

Head coach Akeem Busari had prepared his team for Poland’s physical advantage and direct style of play.

Busari had indicated before the match that Nigeria would seek to maintain a mid-block defensive structure while building attacks from the back and exploiting opportunities in wide areas.

The Flamingos entered the tournament after winning the WAFU-B U-17 Girls’ Championship in Côte d’Ivoire, where they recorded five victories, scored 17 goals, and conceded just once.

Nigeria also secured their World Cup ticket by overcoming Guinea and Benin Republic during the African qualifying campaign.

The Flamingos will now turn their attention to their next Group B fixture against Puerto Rico on October 20 before facing defending champions Korea DPR on October 23.

With two group matches remaining, Nigeria will need a strong response to keep their hopes of advancing to the knockout stage alive.