WOMEN'S FOOTBALL
Asisat Oshoala hails FIFA for direct Women’s World Cup payment to players
Barcelona and Nigeria striker Asisat Oshoala believes players will be inspired by the financial rewards Fifa is putting in place for the Women’s World Cup.
Each player will take home at least $30,000 from the tournament, with all 23 members of the winning team guaranteed $270,000 as part of a $110m total prize pool.
Five-time African player of the year Oshoala says the funds going straight to players rather than federations is a major step forward.
“I’m happy things are beginning to change and players don’t have to be dependent on their federations for income from World Cup appearances alone,” she told BBC Sport Africa.
“It’s really is interesting to see such development because it will serve as a motivation to the players.”
Reigning African champions South Africa are joined by Nigeria, who have been ever-presents at the event, plus Morocco and Zambia at this year’s tournament co-hosted by Australia and New Zealand.
The minimum $30,000 in direct prize money is more than twice the average salary of $14,000 for paid players surveyed in FIFA’s 2022 benchmarking report.
With a lack of sponsorship, investment and a growing number of struggling clubs on the continent, many Africa-based footballers often rely on earnings from the national teams.
Africa’s most successful national side, Nigeria’s women’s team – the Super Falcons – have been in the public eye previously after protests by players relating to unpaid bonuses and allowances at continental and global tournaments.
At the 2019 Women’s World Cup in France, the Nigeria players threatened a sit-in protest over unpaid salaries and bonuses after their last-16 elimination by Germany.
But Oshoala, who made scoring appearances at the 2015 and 2019 World Cup tournaments, is confident the latest Fifa distribution model, which has been endorsed by global players union Fifpro, can prevent another embarrassment.
“It’s not always a good look to stage protests because all the players want to do is focus on the football,” the Barcelona star added.
Cash boost for African federations
For the upcoming Women’s World Cup, member associations will also receive increased funding based on performance, with winners taking home $4.29m and delegations earning $1.56m for participating in the group stage.
Should the African teams progress beyond the group stages, there is an increased $1.87m and $2.18m on offer for the federations in the last 16 and quarter-finals respectively.
Fifa has made it clear to national federations that it expects that the amount retained by member associations will be reinvested in their footballing activities, including coaching staff, grassroots projects, youth national teams and women’s football capacity-building programmes.
This move will help improve the game on the African continent, according to Oshoala, a two-time European Women’s Champions League winner with Barcelona.
“This means Fifa will monitor these funds and make sure they’re channelled to the right places and players can also benefit from it individually,” she said.
The tournament will begin on July 20, with Nigeria opening their campaign against Canada in Melbourne a day later before facing Australia and the Republic of Ireland in Brisbane.
Nigeria are the only African team to have played in all eight Women’s World Cups since 1991, but the Super Falcons have failed to translate their continental dominance to the world stage.
Their best performance at the World Cup came when reaching the quarter-finals in 1999, while they also reached the knockout stages in 2019, losing 3-0 to Germany.
For their second appearance on the World Cup stage, South Africa have been paired in a tricky Group G against Sweden, Italy and Argentina.
Debutants Zambia will be facing 2011 world champions Japan, Spain and Costa Rica in Group C.
Africa’s other representative Morocco will battle two-time World Cup winners Germany, Colombia and South Korea in Group H.
Players from teams who reach the last-16 stage each receive $60,000, while $90,000 will be paid to those in the quarter-finals.
-BBC
WOMEN'S FOOTBALL
Flamingos Set for Morocco 2025 as Nigeria’s U-17s Depart Abuja for Final World Cup Preparations
Nigeria’s U-17 women’s national team, the Flamingos, will depart Abuja in the early hours of Wednesday, October 8, as they begin the final leg of preparations for the 2025 FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup scheduled to take place in Morocco.
The team will travel aboard Royal Air Maroc to Casablanca, Morocco’s industrial and economic hub, where they will set up camp ahead of the tournament.
During their stay in Casablanca, the Flamingos will step up their build-up programme with two high-profile international friendlies — first against New Zealand on October 10, and then Paraguay on October 14.
Following their training camp, the team will move into the official FIFA hotel in Rabat on October 15, joining other participating nations as the countdown begins to the global showpiece.
Drawn in Group D, Nigeria will face Canada, France, and Samoa in what promises to be a competitive group. The Flamingos will begin their campaign against Canada on Sunday, October 19, before locking horns with France three days later.
Both matches will be played at the Football Academy Mohammed VI in Sale, with kickoff set for 8 p.m. Nigerian time. Their final group match comes against Samoa on October 25, starting at 5 p.m., also in Sale.
Head Coach Bankole Olowookere’s side heads into the tournament brimming with confidence after a remarkable build-up.
The Flamingos have played 10 tune-up games, scoring an impressive 44 goals without conceding any, a record that highlights their attacking prowess and defensive discipline.
Olowookere has expressed optimism about his team’s readiness, noting that the squad’s balance and form give them belief they can surpass their quarter-final finish at the last edition in the Dominican Republic.
With a perfect preparation run and growing momentum, the Flamingos will be aiming to make history in Morocco and bring pride to Nigerian women’s football once again.
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Nigeria’s U17 Women’s National Team, the Flamingos, are rounding off their preparations for the 2025 FIFA U17 Women’s World Cup in Morocco with a string of dominant performances that underscore their growing confidence and team chemistry.
In a remarkable build-up campaign, the Flamingos have played eight friendly matches in Abuja, winning all and maintaining a perfect defensive record. The team has scored 26 goals without conceding, a run that has lifted morale and heightened expectations ahead of their World Cup challenge.
Last week, the team showcased their attacking prowess with a convincing 3–0 victory over Abuja All-Stars.
Praise Agba opened the scoring from a loose ball, Olamide Olanrewaju doubled the lead from the penalty spot, and Zainab Raji sealed the win with a thunderous strike shortly after the restart. Goalkeeper Sylvia Echefu was outstanding between the sticks, producing several key saves to preserve another clean sheet.
Earlier, the Flamingos overcame a rain-disrupted clash against Josiah Academy, running out 2–0 winners courtesy of a Chisom Nwachukwu brace within the opening 10 minutes before the downpour forced an early end to proceedings.
The girls also recorded emphatic wins over Nazareth Angels (5–0), with Queen Joseph bagging a brace and goals from Praise Agba, Mariam Yahaya, and Chisom Nwachukwu; and Horvel Prime (5–0), where Joseph netted a first-half hat-trick, while captain Shakirat Moshood and Azeezat Oduntan added one apiece.
Across all their tune-up matches, the Flamingos have demonstrated an impressive balance — clinical in attack, disciplined in midfield, and solid at the back — as they fine-tune for global competition.
Drawn in Group D alongside Canada, France, and Samoa, Nigeria will depart for Morocco on October 8, aiming to carry their perfect form into the tournament, which runs from October 17 to November 8.
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Nigeria’s U20 women’s team, the Falconets, continued the country’s dominance over Rwanda on the international football stage by securing a 1–0 victory in Kigali on Sunday in the first leg of their 2026 FIFA U20 Women’s World Cup second-round qualifier.
The narrow win comes against the backdrop of two recent triumphs by the Super Eagles over Rwanda in the men’s 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifying series, underlining Nigeria’s growing hold in encounters with the East Africans.
At the Kigali-Pele Stadium in Nyamirambo, both sides battled fiercely in a goalless first half, with chances at a premium. The breakthrough arrived in the 70th minute when Alaba Olabiyi bundled the ball home from a goalmouth scramble after a Falconets corner. The strike proved enough to hand Coach Moses Aduku a winning start in his first competitive game in charge of the team.
With the victory, the Falconets carry a slim but valuable advantage into the return leg at the Lekan Salami Stadium, Ibadan, on Saturday, where they will be backed by home support as they push for a place in the next round of qualifiers.
The team’s delegation is expected back in Nigeria on Monday morning to begin preparations for the decisive clash.
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