By Amaechi Agbo
Nigeria, Ghana, Kenya and Zambia have booked their places at the 2026 FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup in Morocco after successfully navigating the final round of the CAF qualifiers.
The quartet emerged as Africa’s representatives following a dramatic weekend of second-leg matches that showcased the growing strength of women’s youth football across the continent.
Nigeria’s Flamingos once again underlined their pedigree with a commanding 5-3 victory over Benin to complete an emphatic 8-5 aggregate triumph.
The Flamingos wasted little time taking control as Mary Akpan Dunstan opened the scoring in the sixth minute before Esther Enne Stephen doubled the advantage eight minutes later.
Queen Joseph then stole the spotlight with a clinical hat-trick, scoring in the 20th, 54th and 75th minutes to seal Nigeria’s passage.
Despite goals from Romaine Gandonou and Hermionne Lokossou for Benin, the Nigerians proved too strong over the two legs to comfortably secure qualification for Morocco 2026.
Ghana had to dig much deeper to reach the World Cup. After playing out a tense 1-1 draw with Senegal in the second leg, the tie finished 2-2 on aggregate.
Seidatu Wahab’s equaliser cancelled out Mame Diarra Diallo’s opener for Senegal before the Black Maidens held their nerve to prevail 7-6 in a dramatic penalty shootout.
Zambia also secured qualification after battling Ethiopia to a 1-1 draw away from home.
Precious Mwewa’s first-half strike gave Zambia the advantage before Mihret Ayele equalised late in the contest.
However, Zambia’s 2-1 first-leg victory ensured they progressed with a 3-2 aggregate win.
Kenya completed the list of African qualifiers with an impressive 3-1 victory over South Africa to finish the tie with a dominant 5-1 aggregate scoreline.
Gaudencia Maloba, Brenda Awour and Elizabeth Alizeba all found the net for the Junior Starlets, who overturned South Africa’s early lead through Kateleho Malebana to cap a memorable qualification campaign.
With the qualification series concluded, Nigeria, Ghana, Zambia and Kenya will proudly fly Africa’s flag at the 2026 FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup, scheduled to take place in Morocco from October 17 to November 7, 2026.
The four nations will now shift their focus to preparing for the global showpiece, where they will aim to make a significant impact against the world’s best young talents.
