Sports
Flamingos return to Nigeria in triumph after historic U-17 World Cup victory
Nigeria’s U-17 women’s national team, the Flamingos, have returned to the country following their historic triumph at the 2026 FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup in Morocco.
The team arrived at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport in the early hours of Monday, where they were received by a crowd of journalists and well-wishers.
The Flamingos made history on Saturday after defeating Japan 2-1 in the final to become the first African team to win the FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup.
The victory also marked Nigeria’s first-ever global title in women’s football.
Oluebube Umejiaku was named the player of the tournament. The 16-year-old won multiple player-of-the-match awards throughout the tournament and scored four goals, including the decisive one against Japan.
President Bola Tinubu said the team’s victory “goes far beyond football”, adding that “millions of young Nigerian girls will look at what you have achieved and know that they, too, can dream big, compete with the best and reach the pinnacle of their chosen fields”.

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