Nigeria’s Flamingos have suffered a disappointing start to the 2026 FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup after losing 2-1 to Poland in their opening Group B fixture in Rabat, Morocco.
Head coach Akeem Busari led Nigeria into the tournament with a 21-player squad following their triumph at the WAFU U-17 Girls Championship. However, the regional champions were unable to translate that momentum into a positive result against a disciplined Polish side, who took their chances to secure all three points.
Poland broke the deadlock in the 33rd minute when Wiktoria Skrzypczak converted a penalty. Nigeria struggled to create clear-cut opportunities in response, and their situation worsened in the second half when Natalia Skrok doubled Poland’s advantage in the 65th minute.
The Flamingos refused to give up and found a lifeline in the 79th minute through Oluebube Umejiaku, who scored from a free kick to reduce the deficit to 2-1. Despite pushing for a late equaliser, Nigeria could not find another goal before the final whistle.
Poland’s second goal came in the 65th minute when Natalia Skrok finished a cross from Blanka Zając after Nigeria failed to clear the danger. The Flamingos responded through Umejiaku’s 79th-minute goal, but their late push proved insufficient to rescue a point. 
The defeat leaves Nigeria without a point after their opening Group B fixture. The result is a setback for Busari’s side, who arrived in Morocco with confidence after winning the WAFU-B U-17 Girls’ Championship, where they won all five matches and scored 17 goals.
The opening defeat means the Flamingos must improve their defensive organisation and finishing if they are to progress in the competition.
Nigeria will face Puerto Rico on Tuesday, October 20, in a crucial second group match before taking on Korea DPR on October 23. With the top two teams in each group qualifying automatically for the Round of 16, alongside the four best third-placed sides, the Flamingos still have an opportunity to recover. 
For Busari and his players, the immediate priority is to turn their late attacking response against Poland into a more complete performance. A victory over Puerto Rico would revive their qualification hopes, but another disappointing result would leave Nigeria facing a difficult route to the knockout stages.