Flamingos open U-17 Women’s World Cup against Poland in Rabat on Saturday

Updated 09:15 WAT, 18 Oct 2026: Poland beat the Flamingos 2-1 in their Group B opener on Saturday, according to FIFA; Nigeria play Puerto Rico next, on Tuesday.

Updated 10:31 WAT, 16 Oct 2026: FIFA lists the Poland game for 7pm Nigerian time, not 8pm as we first reported, and has published kick-off times for Nigeria’s other two group games.

Nigeria’s Flamingos open their FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup campaign against Poland in Rabat on Saturday, 17 October 2026, the first day of the tournament in Morocco, The Eagle Online and Football in Nigeria reported. Kick-off on Pitch 4 of the Mohammed VI Football Complex is at 6pm GMT, which is 7pm in Nigeria, according to FIFA’s match centre.

Coach Akeem Busari’s 21-player squad moved to Rabat this week from their training base in Casablanca, Naija News reported.

Why it matters

The Flamingos’ best finish at the tournament is third place in 2022, when they lost to Colombia in the semi-finals and beat Germany on penalties for bronze, Blueprint and Football in Nigeria reported. At last year’s edition, also in Morocco, they reached the round of 16 and lost 4-0 to Italy, Blueprint reported.

This is the 10th edition of the competition, and 24 teams are taking part, Nigfooty reported, citing FIFA.

Who are Nigeria playing?

Nigeria are in Group B, and all three of their group games are in Rabat, Football in Nigeria reported:

• Poland: Saturday, 17 October, 7pm (lost 2-1)
• Puerto Rico: Tuesday, 20 October, 7pm
• North Korea (Korea DPR): Friday, 23 October, 4pm

All kick-off times are in Nigerian time (WAT), according to FIFA’s match centre pages for the Poland, Puerto Rico and North Korea games.

How does the tournament work?

The 24 teams are split into six groups of four. The top two in each group and the four best third-placed teams go through to the round of 16, Nigfooty reported, so even third place can be enough.

All matches up to and including the semi-finals, on 4 November, are in Rabat. The final and the third-place match are on Saturday, 7 November, at the Prince Moulay El Hassan Stadium, according to Nigfooty.

Who is in the Nigeria squad?

Captain Harmony Chidi, a Bayelsa Queens forward, is the player to watch. She scored five goals in Nigeria’s qualifying campaign and three at the WAFU B U-17 Girls Cup, which the Flamingos won this year, Blueprint reported.

Nigeria qualified by beating Benin’s Young Amazons 8-5 on aggregate, winning 3-2 in Ikenne and 5-3 in Lomé, Football in Nigeria reported.

“We are playing on the biggest stage,” Busari said, according to Naija News, adding that his players want to make Nigeria proud.

What happens next

Poland won the opening game 2-1, according to FIFA’s match centre, so Nigeria start with no points. Read GistMatrix’s match report.

The Flamingos face Puerto Rico at 7pm Nigerian time on Tuesday, 20 October, and North Korea at 4pm on Friday, 23 October, according to FIFA. The top two in each group and the four best third-placed teams reach the round of 16, and the tournament ends on Saturday, 7 November.