Nigeria’s U-17 girls, the Flamingos, have arrived safely in Lomé, Togo, as they intensify preparations for Saturday’s decisive second-leg clash against the Young Amazons of Benin Republic in the final qualifying round of the 2026 FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup.
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The Nigerian delegation departed the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos, at 9:41 a.m. on Thursday and landed at Gnassingbé Eyadéma International Airport in Lomé at 10:08 a.m. Nigerian time (9:08 a.m. local time).
Following their arrival, the team checked into Hôtel Le Pélican, where they will be camped ahead of the crucial encounter.
Head coach Akeem Busari has also scheduled the team’s first training session in Lomé for 4:00 p.m. local time (5:00 p.m. Nigerian time) as the Flamingos fine-tune preparations for the winner-takes-all fixture.
Nigeria head into Saturday’s contest with a slender 3-2 advantage after edging Benin Republic in an entertaining first leg at the Remo Stars Sports Complex in Ikenne.
The visitors stunned the Flamingos with an early opener through Romaine Gandonou before Queen Joseph restored parity for Nigeria. Oluwakemi Adegbuyi put the hosts ahead in the second half, but Nazifatou Dangui equalised for Benin before Kindness Ifeanyi headed home the winner to give the Flamingos a narrow lead heading into the return leg.
Despite securing victory in the first encounter, Busari admitted his side must improve defensively after conceding twice, while Benin coach Idah Azonsou has expressed confidence that his team can overturn the deficit and qualify for the FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup for the first time in history.
Saturday’s decisive encounter will be played at the Stade de Kégué in Lomé, Togo, which serves as Benin Republic’s designated home venue for the qualifiers.
Victory or a draw will send the Flamingos through to the 2026 FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup in Morocco, where Nigeria will be aiming for a ninth appearance at the global tournament. Benin, meanwhile, are chasing a historic first-ever qualification.
