Nigeria Flamingos to Face Spanish-Speaking Opponents in FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup Round of 16

Nigeria’s Flamingos will face Mexico in the Round of 16 of the 2026 FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup on Thursday, 29 October, at the Mohammed VI Football Academy in Salé, Morocco.

The match will kick off at 4:00 p.m. Nigerian time (3:00 p.m. Moroccan time), with both teams seeking a place in the quarter-finals.

Mexico, a Spanish-speaking country in North America, finished second in Group F with six points from three matches, the same points tally as Nigeria in Group B.

How Nigeria Reached the Round of 16

The Flamingos finished second in Group B with six points, recording two wins and one defeat.

Nigeria began their campaign on 17 October with a 2-1 defeat to Poland, with Umejiaku scoring their goal.

They responded with a 2-0 victory over Puerto Rico on 20 October. Adegbuyi opened the scoring in the 25th minute before Precious Oscar sealed the win in stoppage time, scoring in the 90+3rd minute.

The Flamingos concluded the group stage on 23 October with a 3-1 victory over defending champions North Korea. Adegbuyi scored in the 15th minute, Umejiaku added the second in the 38th minute, and Kanyinsola Yusuf made it 3-0 in the 56th minute. North Korea scored a late penalty in the 82nd minute.

The victory secured Nigeria’s place in the knockout stage and provided a strong finish to their group campaign.

How Mexico Reached the Round of 16

Mexico also finished second in their group with six points, recording two wins and one defeat in Group F.

They began the tournament on 19 October with a 2-0 loss to Spain. Mexico recovered on 22 October with a 3-1 win over Chile, with Nicole Jiménez, Citlalli Reyes and Mia Urbano scoring.

Mexico completed their group-stage fixtures on 25 October with a 1-0 victory over Australia. Their two wins secured second place behind Spain, who finished top of Group F with nine points.

Head-to-Head: Nigeria Beat Mexico 3-0 in 2014

Nigeria and Mexico have met once before at the group stage in 2014 at the FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup, with the Flamingos winning 3-0.

Rasheedat Ajibade opened the scoring in the 12th minute, and Uchenna Kanu doubled Nigeria’s advantage four minutes later. Yakubu scored the third goal in the 58th minute to complete the victory. Their 2026 encounter will be the teams’ second meeting at the U-17 Women’s World Cup.

Best Performances at the FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup

Nigeria’s best performance at the tournament came in 2022 in India, when the Flamingos finished third after defeating Germany in the bronze-medal match on penalties. The 2026 edition is Nigeria’s ninth appearance at the competition. Mexico’s best finish came in 2018, when they reached the final in Uruguay. They lost 2-1 to Spain and finished as runners-up.

Both teams will now look to progress beyond the Round of 16 as the competition continues in Morocco.

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