EPL: Flamingos stumble against Poland in U-17 Women’s World Cup opener

Nigeria’s U-17 women’s national team, the Flamingos, began their campaign at the 2026 FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup with a 2-1 defeat to Poland on Saturday in Morocco.

The Nigerian side struggled to contain their European opponents, conceding twice before Oluebube Umejiaku pulled one back late in the second half.

Poland broke the deadlock in the 33rd minute after Wiktoria Skrzypczak converted a penalty to give her team the advantage.

The Flamingos were unable to find a response before the interval, leaving them with a deficit to overcome in the second half.

Nigeria returned from the break hoping to restore parity, but their task became more difficult in the 66th minute when Natalia Skrok scored Poland’s second goal.

Despite falling two goals behind, the Nigerian youngsters continued their search for a way back into the contest.

Their efforts paid off in the 79th minute when Umejiaku found the net to reduce the deficit to 2-1 and give the Flamingos renewed hope.

However, Nigeria could not find another goal before the final whistle, as Poland held on to claim all three points in the Group B encounter at the Women’s Football Complex in Morocco.

The defeat leaves the Flamingos under pressure to secure a positive result in their next match to strengthen their chances of progressing from the group.

Nigeria will return to action on Tuesday, October 20, when they face Puerto Rico in their second group-stage fixture.

The encounter offers the Nigerian team an opportunity to recover from their opening setback and register their first points of the tournament.

The Flamingos will then face defending champions Korea DPR on Friday, October 23, in their final Group B fixture.

Nigeria will need to improve on their opening performance to remain competitive in the race for a place in the knockout stage.