Women’s U17 World Cup 2026 (Q): Nigeria eliminates Benin and secures its ticket for the final stage

Benin will have to wait a little longer to see a final phase of the U17 Women’s World Cup. Facing Nigeria in the return match of the third and final qualifying round, the Amazons lost 5-3 on Saturday, July 11, at the Kégué Stadium in Lomé. This defeat marks the end of their campaign, following the loss in the first leg (3-2).

Against the formidable Flamingos, Idah Azonsou’s players were quickly put under pressure. The Nigerians opened the scoring as early as the 6th minute, but the Beninese response was immediate. Two minutes later, Romaine Gandonou leveled the score, reigniting her team’s hopes. However, this enthusiasm was short-lived. More realistic and offensively sharper, the Nigerians accelerated before the break to take a comfortable lead of three goals to one after just twenty minutes of play.

Upon returning from the locker room, the Amazons never gave up. Hermione Lokossou narrowed the gap in the 56th minute, before Romaine Gandonou, highly visible, scored a penalty double in the 64th minute to bring the score to 4-3. However, the suspense did not last until the end. Nigeria scored a fifth goal at the end of the match, definitively ending Beninese ambitions. With this new defeat, Benin falls 8-6 on aggregate over the two matches, seeing their dream of a first qualification for the U17 Women’s World Cup fade away.