RABAT, MOROCCO — Nigeria’s U-17 women’s national team, the Flamingos, will square off against formidable opponents France, Canada, and Samoa in Group D of the 2025 FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup, following Wednesday’s official draw held at the Mohammed VI Football Academy in Rabat.
The draw ceremony, which attracted global football stakeholders and media attention, marked the beginning of the final countdown to the biennial tournament, which will run from October 17 to November 8 in Morocco.
The host nation becomes the first African country to stage the global youth women’s tournament, signaling growing confidence in the continent’s ability to host major sporting events.
Nigeria, one of Africa’s most consistent performers at the youth level, earned their place in the tournament with convincing victories during the African qualifying rounds.
The Flamingos dispatched South Africa in the penultimate round before comfortably defeating Algeria to book their eighth appearance at the prestigious tournament.
The 2025 edition sees the Flamingos seeded in Pot 1 — alongside global heavyweights such as the United States, Japan, Spain, reigning champions North Korea, and host Morocco — based on performance across the last five tournaments. This is the first time the Flamingos have been seeded in the top pot, reflecting their rising stature in global youth football.
Nigeria’s placement in Group D sets the stage for a challenging group campaign. France, a traditional powerhouse in women’s football, brings depth and technical strength to the group.
Canada, known for its robust youth development structure, presents a physical and tactical test. Samoa, considered underdogs, could prove unpredictable as debutants in the expanded 24-nation format.
The Flamingos will look to build on their historic third-place finish at the 2022 edition held in India — Nigeria’s best-ever performance in the tournament.
That campaign ended with a dramatic penalty shootout win over Germany in the bronze medal match, cementing the team’s status as a global force.
Alongside Nigeria, four other African teams will feature in this year’s tournament. Host nation Morocco automatically qualified, while Cameroon, Côte d’Ivoire, and Zambia earned their spots through the CAF qualifying series.
This marks a record participation of five African teams in the competition, underlining the continent’s growing prominence in women’s football.
Full group stage pairings revealed on Wednesday include Group A featuring Brazil, Costa Rica, Italy, and Morocco; Group B with Cameroon, North Korea, Mexico, and the Netherlands; Group C comprising China PR, Ecuador, Norway, and the USA; Group E featuring Colombia, Côte d’Ivoire, South Korea, and Spain; and Group F where Japan, New Zealand, Paraguay, and Zambia will compete.
As the countdown begins to kick off in Morocco this October, the Flamingos will aim not only to navigate their tough group but also to surpass their bronze-medal achievement from 2022, fueled by a blend of youthful talent and growing international experience.
