Nigeria’s U-17 women’s national team coach, Bankole Olowookere, has set his sights on a convincing victory over Algeria in the first leg of their final FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup qualifying match. The match will be played at the Remo Stars Stadium in Ikenne on Saturday. Nigeria enter this clash as heavy favorites, and the Flamingos hope to take a firm grip on the tie before the return leg in Algeria next week.
“The road to Morocco 2025 is almost complete, and we want to reduce the pressure of the return leg by securing a big win at home,” Olowookere told (link unavailable) ahead of the match. “We have been working very hard to correct the lapses noticed in our last matches (against South Africa), and we believe we are in good form to achieve a handsome win here and then go all out in the second leg in Algeria.”
As Africa’s most successful side at U-17 level, the Flamingos have qualified for seven of the eight U-17 Women’s World Cup tournaments since 2008. Olowookere led the team to a bronze medal finish in 2022 in India, and he hopes to recreate history with another set of players, including goal machine Harmony Chidi, Shakirat Moshood, and Aishat Animashaun.
“We have to keep our feet on the ground and keep working harder, bonding better and aiming higher,” Olowookere said. “Our mission is to pick the FIFA World Cup ticket, and go to Morocco to make Nigeria proud.”
The return leg is set for April 25 at the Stade Mustapha Tchaker in Blida, with the aggregate winner booking a ticket to Morocco 2025. This year’s FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup will be hosted by Morocco from October 17 to November 8, with Africa presenting five teams, including host nation Morocco, at the finals, which has been expanded to a 24-nation championship.
With their sights set on the World Cup, the Flamingos will need to maintain their focus and intensity to dominate the North Africans and take a significant step towards qualifying for the tournament.