WOMEN'S FOOTBALL
Surprise winners, shock losers in 32-team World Cup group stage
After Jamaica clinched a spot in the last 16 of the Women’s World Cup at the expense of soccer giants Brazil on Wednesday, one reporter suggested it made the Reggae Girlz the “Cinderella team” of the tournament.
Jamaica coach Lorne Donaldson, who rolled around the Melbourne pitch in celebration of the scoreless draw that secured their passage to the knockout rounds for the first time, was not certain how suitable the analogy was.
“Cinderella wears a pretty dress, so I don’t know,” he laughed.
“We’re going to take it one game at a time. If we can wear a pretty dress, we’ll put it on.”
There were plenty of other fairytales in the first two weeks of the tournament with Morocco, South Africa, Norway and co-hosts Australia the big group-stage winners.
The losers? Germany, Brazil, Canada, the other co-hosts New Zealand, and China.
Morocco were expected to make an early exit as the 72nd-ranked team, but bounced back from a 6-0 defeat in their opener to become the lowest ranked side ever to make the knockout round with their 1-0 win over Colombia in Perth.
They still needed South Korea to prevent a Germany win in Thursday’s other group match and had a few nervous moments while waiting for the final whistle in Brisbane.
“We were praying, waiting for the result to come out of the Germany and Korea game,” said midfielder Anissa Lahmari. “It was a draw and afterwards it was a complete explosion of joy.”
The stunning upsets sent twice German champions packing in their first exit from the group stage in nine editions of the World Cup.
Jamaican joy on Wednesday also meant despair for Brazil, who exited from the group stage for the first time since 1995, following Canada’s premature exit at the hands of co-hosts Australia on Monday.
That left the tournament without two of the game’s greatest players with Brazil striker Marta and Canada’s talisman captain Christine Sinclair, who both bowed out of their sixth World Cups in the worst possible way.
SHOT IN THE ARM
Australia’s chances were on a razor’s edge before they crushed Canada 4-0 without needing injured forward Sam Kerr, their leading scorer. Their advancement was a huge shot in the arm for the tournament after the loss of New Zealand.
Matildas coach Tony Gustavsson said in a post-match interview that he cried “tears of joy” after the match.
Their courageous win made Canada the first reigning Olympic champions to get knocked out in the group stage and the image of shell-shocked keeper Kailen Sheridan in tears before the final whistle captured Canada’s collective heartache.
Revived Norway were a big group stage winner, brushing off a turbulent two weeks to squeeze into the knockout rounds on goal difference over New Zealand.
Winger Caroline Graham Hansen had apologised earlier in the tournament for an angry outburst in a TV interview after coach Hege Riise dropped her to the bench.
Norway’s advancement sealed New Zealand’s fate, despite the Football Ferns having edged the Norwegians 1-0 for their first win at a World Cup at the tournament’s opening match.
The game itself was a big winner in the island nation of five million people, with 42,958 fans squeezing into Auckland’s historic Eden Park for Portugal versus the U.S., the largest crowd for a soccer match in New Zealand.
Defending champions the United States did not lose a game in the group stage but scraping through to the knockout rounds in second place with a nervy 0-0 draw against debutants Portugal was hardly a “win” for a team used to dominating.
South Africa are not used to dominating outside their own continent and the nation erupted in celebration after the Banyana Banyana knocked out Italy, quarter-finalists four years ago, to progress with their first ever World Cup win.
“You have lifted our spirits and made us immensely proud,” South African President Cyril Ramaphosa said on the messaging platform X, formerly known as Twitter. “Bring the cup home!”
China’s Steel Roses, once titans of women’s soccer with silver medals from the 1996 Olympics and 1999 World Cup, were shock losers in the group stage, bowing out in a 6-1 thumping by England.
Shui Qingxia, who coached the team to the Asian title last year, vowed China would regain its status after clearly falling behind the likes of England.
“We can see there’s a huge gap between us and the European teams,” Shui said.
“We are not going to see this gap and do nothing, but rather we will do things like transition and balance and physicality.”
-Reuters
Nigeria’s Under-21 women’s team Head Coach Bankole Olowookere has unveiled a final squad of 21 players that will represent Nigeria at the FIFA U17 Women’s World Cup taking place in Morocco from 17 October to 8 November.
The list features a blend of exciting new talents and returning performers, including attacking midfielder Shakirat Moshood, goalkeeper Sylvia Echefu, defender Jumai Adebayo, and forward Queen Joseph.
The Flamingos, who arrived in Casablanca on Wednesday for the final phase of preparations, are aiming to surpass their historic bronze-medal finish at the last edition of the tournament in India (2022).
Olowookere, who guided that 2022 squad to third place — Nigeria’s best-ever finish at the competition — expressed confidence that the current team has what it takes to go even further this time around.
“This group has shown great commitment and hunger,” he said. “Our goal is to build on the achievements of 2022 and challenge for the ultimate prize in Morocco.”
Also named in the final roster are goalkeeper Elizabeth Boniface, defenders Azeezat Oduntan and Christiana Sunday, midfielders Muinat Rotimi and Zainab Raji, and forwards Chisom Nwachukwu and Mariam Yahaya.
Nigeria has been drawn in Group D, where they will face Canada, France, and Samoa. The Flamingos will open their campaign against Canada on Sunday, 19 October, with kickoff set for 8 p.m. (Nigerian time) at the Football Academy Mohammed VI (Pitch 2) in Sale.
Three days later, they will tackle France at the same kickoff time on Pitch 1, before wrapping up their group stage fixtures against Samoa on 25 October at 5 p.m. on Pitch 3 of the same venue.
The FIFA U17 Women’s World Cup Morocco 2025 will feature 16 teams competing across multiple cities, as the tournament returns to Africa for the first time in its history.
21 FLAMINGOS FOR 2025 FIFA U17 WOMEN’S WORLD CUP FINALS
Goalkeepers: Elizabeth Boniface (Abia Angels); Onyinyechi Opara (Imo Strikers); Sylvia Echefu (Bayelsa Queens)
Defenders: Hannah Ibrahim (Remo Stars Ladies); Jumai Adebayo (Rivers Angels); Azeezat Oduntan (FC Robo); Christiana Sunday (Imo Strikers); Nofisat Tijani (Youthful Talent 99); Fatimoh Shuaib (Nasarawa Amazons)
Midfielders: Shakirat Moshood (Bayelsa Queens); Muinat Rotimi (Nakamura Football Academy); Shavih Istifanus (Youth Arise Academy); Zainab Raji (Dannaz FC); Waliat Rotimi (Nakamura Football Academy); Ayomide Abubakar (Onimarg FC)
Forwards: Kaosarat Olanrewaju (Ayishat Yusuf Academy, Lagos); Mariam Yahaya (FC Robo); Queen Joseph (Fosla Academy); Tabitha Terlumu (Braavos, Edo); Precious Nwachukwu (Imo Strikers); Chisom Nwachukwu (Rivers Angels)
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The Nigeria U17 Women’s National Team, Flamingos, arrived safely in Morocco on Wednesday, ahead of the 2025 FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup. The team departed Abuja early Wednesday morning at 7:18 a.m. aboard a Royal Air Maroc flight and landed in Casablanca at 11:28 a.m. Nigeria time.
On arrival at the Mohammed V International Airport, the girls were greeted with an unexpected but inspiring moment as they ran into former Super Eagles defender, Taribo West, who was en route to France.
The ex-international took a few moments to speak with the players, urging them to stay disciplined, focused, and to represent Nigeria with pride and unity at the global showpiece. His words were met with smiles and applause from both players and officials.
The Flamingos have since settled into their base at the Ibis Hotel in Casablanca, where they will spend the next few days fine-tuning their preparations before heading to Rabat for the tournament proper.
The team’s spirit was high upon arrival, with several players expressing excitement at the opportunity to don Nigeria’s colors on the world stage once again.
The 2022 World Cup bronze medallists held a light training session on Wednesday evening to help the players recover from jet-lag and get used to the Moroccan weather conditions. The session focused primarily on recovery, ball movement, and coordination drills.
Nigeria is drawn in Group D of the FIFA U17 Women’s World Cup, alongside Canada, France, and Samoa, with their opening match scheduled for Sunday, October 19. The Flamingos head into the tournament full of confidence, having played ten preparatory matches, scoring 44 goals without conceding.
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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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