Four African Teams Reach 2026 FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup Round of 16, Zambia Eliminated

Four of Africa’s five representatives have advanced to the Round of 16 at the 2026 FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup in Morocco.

Nigeria, Ghana, Morocco and Kenya will continue in the knockout stage, while Zambia have been eliminated after losing all three group matches.

Nigeria finished with six points, the highest tally among the five African teams. The Flamingos finished second in Group B, while Ghana also secured automatic qualification after finishing second in Group C with four points.

Hosts Morocco and Kenya progressed through the best third-placed teams ranking, with each collecting three points from their three group matches.

Nigeria: Flamingos Finish Second in Group B

Nigeria advanced to the Round of 16 after collecting six points from three matches in Group B.

Nigeria’s group-stage results

• Matchday 1: Poland 2-1 Nigeria

• Matchday 2: Nigeria 2-0 Puerto Rico

• Matchday 3: Nigeria 3-1 DPR Korea

Final Group B standings

1. DPR Korea: 6 pts (+9 GD)

2. Nigeria: 6 pts (+3 GD)

3. Poland: 6 pts (0 GD)

4. Puerto Rico: 0 pts (-12 GD)

The Flamingos recovered from their opening defeat to Poland with victories over Puerto Rico and defending champions DPR Korea.

Their 3-1 win over DPR Korea in the final group match secured second place. Nigeria finished with the highest points total among Africa’s five representatives.

Round of 16: Nigeria vs Mexico, 29 October.

Ghana: Black Maidens Qualify After Finishing Second

Ghana secured a Round of 16 place after finishing second in Group C with four points.

Ghana’s group-stage results

• Matchday 1: Norway 3-0 Ghana

• Matchday 2: Ghana 3-3 Brazil

• Matchday 3: Ghana 2-0 Canada

Final Group C standings

1. Brazil: 7 pts (+7 GD)

2. Ghana: 4 pts (-1 GD)

3. Canada: 3 pts (-5 GD)

4. Norway: 3 pts (-1 GD)

The Black Maidens started with a defeat against Norway before earning a 3-3 draw against Brazil. They completed their campaign with a 2-0 victory over Canada to secure second place and automatic qualification.

Round of 16: Argentina vs Ghana, 28 October.

Morocco: Hosts Advance as Best Third-Placed Team

Morocco progressed to the knockout stage despite finishing third in Group A with three points.

Morocco’s group-stage results

• Matchday 1: Morocco 4-0 New Zealand

• Matchday 2: Morocco 2-4 Germany

• Matchday 3: Argentina 5-1 Morocco

Final Group A standings

1. Germany: 9 pts (+5 GD)

2. Argentina: 6 pts (+5 GD)

3. Morocco: 3 pts (-2 GD)

4. New Zealand: 0 pts (-8 GD)

The hosts opened their campaign with a convincing victory over New Zealand but lost their next two matches against Germany and Argentina.

Their opening win proved important, as the three points were enough to secure one of the four available places for the best third-placed teams.

Round of 16: DPR Korea vs Morocco, 28 October.

Kenya: Junior Starlets Reach Knockout Stage

Kenya also advanced as one of the four best third-placed teams after finishing Group E with three points.

Kenya’s group-stage results

• Matchday 1: Kenya 0-3 China PR

• Matchday 2: USA 6-1 Kenya

• Matchday 3: Samoa 0-4 Kenya

Final Group E standings

1. China PR: 9 pts (+11 GD)

2. USA: 6 pts (+21 GD)

3. Kenya: 3 pts (-4 GD)

4. Samoa: 0 pts (-28 GD)

The Junior Starlets lost their first two matches against China PR and the United States before recording a 4-0 victory over Samoa in their final fixture.

The result lifted Kenya to third place and secured their progression to the Round of 16.

Round of 16: Japan vs Kenya, 29 October.

Zambia: Copper Princesses Eliminated

Zambia were the only African representatives eliminated at the group stage after finishing fourth in Group D without a point.

Zambia’s group-stage results

• Matchday 1: Japan 5-0 Zambia

• Matchday 2: Venezuela 3-2 Zambia

• Matchday 3: Zambia 0-1 France

Final Group D standings

1. Japan: 9 pts (+9 GD)

2. France: 6 pts (+1 GD)

3. Venezuela: 3 pts (-3 GD)

4. Zambia: 0 pts (-7 GD)

The Copper Princesses lost to Japan, Venezuela and France, scoring twice and conceding nine goals across their three matches.

Their campaign ended without a point, leaving four African teams to continue in the tournament.

Africa’s Round of 16 Fixtures

The four remaining African teams will face the following opponents in the knockout stage:

• 28 October: DPR Korea vs Morocco

• 28 October: Argentina vs Ghana

• 29 October: Nigeria vs Mexico

• 29 October: Japan vs Kenya

Nigeria and Ghana qualified automatically after finishing second in their groups, while Morocco and Kenya advanced through the best third-placed teams ranking.

How far will these teams go? Share your thoughts in the comments below.