16-Year-Old Oluwakemi Adegbuyi: From NWFL Player of the Season to WAFU-B Player of the Tournament

Oluwakemi Adegbuyi is having a remarkable 2026.

At just 16 years old, the Nigerian forward has already collected two major individual honours in the space of a few months — first being named 2025/26 Nigeria Women’s Football League (NWFL) Premiership Player of the Season, and now WAFU-B Player of the Tournament after helping Edo Queens win the regional title and qualify for the 2026 CAF Women’s Champions League.

It is a rapid rise that has taken her from the domestic league to the international stage in a matter of months.

From FC Robo Queens to NWFL Player of the Season

Adegbuyi announced herself as one of the brightest young players in Nigerian women’s football during the 2025/26 NWFL Premiership season with FC Robo Queens.

Her performances earned her the league’s biggest individual honour — the NWFL Premiership Player of the Season award. She finished the campaign with 11 goals, while also making a strong impression during the NWFL Super Six.

For a player born in 2010, the achievement was significant.

She was not simply being recognised as a promising teenager. She was being recognised as the best player of an entire NWFL Premiership season.

And that distinction quickly attracted attention beyond her club.

A teenage star making the step up

Adegbuyi’s performances led to a move to Edo Queens, the reigning NWFL champions, ahead of their WAFU-B Women’s Champions League qualifying campaign.

Edo Queens completed the signing in August, with the club adding the reigning NWFL Player of the Season to a squad preparing for continental football.

The move presented Adegbuyi with a different challenge.

Instead of competing only against the best clubs in Nigeria, she would now have to perform against champions from across West Africa.

She did not take long to make an impression.

Adegbuyi makes her mark in West Africa

In Edo Queens’ second group-stage match of the WAFU-B qualifiers, the teenager opened the scoring in a 3–1 victory over ASEC Mimosas.

Adegbuyi found the net in the 23rd minute, giving the Nigerian champions an early advantage before Dooshima and Oluebube Umejiaku completed the victory.

It was another reminder that her domestic success was not simply a product of the NWFL environment.

She could make the step up.

And by the end of the tournament, she had done much more than score one important goal.

From NWFL Player of the Season to WAFU-B Player of the Tournament

Edo Queens eventually lifted the WAFU-B title after an extraordinary final against Ghanaian champions Ampem Darkoa Ladies.

The match finished 2–2 after extra time, with Edo Queens twice recovering from falling behind before winning 4–1 on penalties.

The victory secured Nigeria’s place at the 2026 CAF Women’s Champions League.

For Adegbuyi, the tournament ended with another individual honour.

She was named WAFU-B Player of the Tournament.

That means that within the same year, the 16-year-old had gone from being named the best player in Nigeria’s domestic women’s league to being recognised as the outstanding player of a regional continental qualifying tournament.

That is a significant progression for a teenager.

The Flamingos connection

Adegbuyi’s rise has not been limited to club football.

She is also part of Nigeria’s Flamingos, the national U-17 women’s team preparing for the 2026 FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup in Morocco.

During Nigeria’s qualifying campaign, she scored in the Flamingos’ 6–0 second-leg victory over Guinea, helping Nigeria complete an 11–0 aggregate victory.

She also scored in Nigeria’s first-leg victory over Benin, as the Flamingos moved closer to securing their place at the World Cup.

Nigeria eventually booked its ticket to Morocco.

So Adegbuyi’s 2026 has followed an impressive sequence:

NWFL Player of the Season → move to Edo Queens → WAFU-B Player of the Tournament → FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup.

Could Morocco be her next big stage?

The next challenge could be the biggest yet.

The 2026 FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup will be played in Morocco from October 17 to November 7, giving Adegbuyi an opportunity to test herself against some of the world’s best young players.

At 16, expectations around her will naturally increase after such a rapid rise.

What can be said is that she has already put herself firmly among the young Nigerian players worth watching.

Winning the NWFL Player of the Season award demonstrated that she can perform at senior domestic level.

Winning WAFU-B Player of the Tournament showed that she can make an impact against opposition from across West Africa.

Morocco will offer a different test altogether.

From promise to possibility

There is still a long way to go in Adegbuyi’s career.

At 16, she is only at the beginning.

But the achievements are already difficult to ignore.

She has won an individual award in Nigeria’s top women’s league. She has moved to the country’s reigning champions. She has helped Edo Queens qualify for the CAF Women’s Champions League. She has been named the best player of a WAFU-B qualifying tournament.

And now she is heading to a FIFA World Cup with the Flamingos.

The question is no longer whether Oluwakemi Adegbuyi is a player to watch.

The question is how far she can take this remarkable rise.

Morocco could provide the next answer.