U-17 Women's: Ghana and Nigeria qualify for the 2026 World Cup

The first verdicts were delivered on Saturday, July 11. Ghana and Nigeria will represent Africa at the 2026 FIFA U-17 Women's World Cup.

The Black Maidens faced a tough challenge against Senegal, while the Flamingos asserted their supremacy over Benin. After a 1-1 draw in Dakar, Ghana hosted Senegal on Saturday, July 11, 2026, for the return leg. Once again, regular time ended in a 1-1 stalemate.

Penalties were required to separate the two sides. Thanks to their mental toughness and the support of the Accra crowd, the Black Maidens clinched qualification with a 7-6 shootout win. This will be Ghana's seventh appearance at the U-17 Women's World Cup, and the first since reaching the quarterfinals in 2028. The Black Maidens missed the 2022 edition in India, then were suspended by FIFA and excluded from the 2024 and 2025 tournaments due to age fraud violations.

As for Nigeria, they gave Benin no chance. After a 3-2 victory in the first leg, the Flamingos repeated the feat in the return fixture with a 5-3 win. A commanding aggregate score. With this triumph, Nigeria secures their tenth consecutive qualification in as many editions.

This absolute dominance reaffirms Ghana and Nigeria's status as powerhouses of African U-17 women's football. Now, both teams will look to fly the flag for Africa on the global stage this autumn.

Nafongo TRAORE |

News Editorfr, ar, en

Nafongon Moussa TRAORE, Burkinabè de 25 ans, est passionné de football, est rédacteur pour Foot Africa et commentateur pour BurkiFoot.

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