Confederation of African Football (CAF) President Patrice Motsepe has congratulated Nigeria’s Flamingos following their historic qualification for the final of the 2026 FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup.
The Flamingos secured their first-ever appearance in the final after defeating Brazil 3-1 in Wednesday’s semi-final at the Mohammed VI Football Complex in Rabat, Morocco.
In a statement released on Thursday, Motsepe said the Nigerian team had made Africa and CAF proud with their achievement.
The CAF president also confirmed that he would travel to Rabat to watch Nigeria face Japan in Saturday’s final, scheduled for 6:30 p.m. local time (5:30 p.m. Nigerian time).
Queen Joseph opened the scoring in the 56th minute before Awawu Bashiru scored twice in the 71st and 80th minutes to give Nigeria a commanding 3-0 lead.
Brazil scored a late consolation through Greise Kelly in the 89th minute, but the Flamingos held on to secure victory.
The achievement makes Nigeria the first African country to reach the final of the competition.
Ghana and Nigeria had previously recorded the continent's best performances, finishing third in 2012 and 2022, respectively.
Nigeria have also guaranteed themselves at least a silver medal, surpassing their previous best finish at the tournament.
The Flamingos will now face Japan, who defeated defending champions North Korea on penalties, as they seek to become the first African team to win the title.
Head coach Akeem Busari described the achievement as a major boost for Nigerian football.
"It's an awesome thing, it's a great achievement.
"Reaching the final is a plus for our country, it's a plus for our football.
"We are happy," he told FIFA.
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