Nigeria’s Flamingos Book Last-Four Spot With Venezuela Victory

Nigeria’s Flamingos are through to the semi-finals of the 2026 FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup after a tense 1-0 win over Venezuela on Sunday.

The decisive moment came in the 89th minute, when Azeezat Oduntan converted a penalty to give Nigeria the lead. The Flamingos had spent much of the match searching for a goal, with Kanyinsola Yusuf, Mary Dunstan, Tosin Rafiu and Oluebube Umejiaku among those to test Venezuela’s defence.

Venezuela threatened in the closing minutes, but Nigeria resisted the late pressure.

Astrid Granadillo and Abril Alejo both had chances as the South Americans sought an equaliser. The Flamingos stayed organised through eight minutes of added time to preserve their advantage.

The result marks a strong turnaround for Nigeria, who began the tournament with a 2-1 loss to Poland. They responded with wins over Puerto Rico, defending champions North Korea and Mexico to reach the quarter-finals.

Nigeria will now meet Brazil in the last four on Wednesday, November 4, at Rabat’s Moulay El Hassan Stadium. Brazil advanced after coming from behind to defeat China 2-1.

A very big congratulations to the Flamingos. We are super proud of you all