Nigeria have been crowned champions of the 2026 FIFA U17 Women’s World Cup after securing a 2-1 victory over Japan in Saturday’s final in Morocco.
Goals from Owao Bashiru and Oluyebube Omoijako proved decisive for the Nigerian team, who held on to their advantage despite a late Japanese response to claim the title at the Mohammed VI Football Complex in Salé.
Japan’s Fuki Ito scored in the closing stages to reduce the deficit, but her side could not find another goal to force the match towards an equaliser.
The victory confirmed Nigeria as champions of the tournament, with Japan finishing second after an entertaining final between the two sides.
The result also completed the competition’s final standings, with North Korea securing third place following an emphatic 6-0 win against Brazil in the earlier play-off.
Nigeria take control of final
Nigeria made their intentions clear as they looked to secure the trophy, with Bashiru breaking the deadlock shortly before half-time.
The forward scored in the 39th minute, giving the African side a valuable lead heading into the interval.
The goal provided Nigeria with an important advantage in a closely contested encounter, but they wasted little time extending it after the restart.
Just two minutes into the second half, Omoijako found the net to make it 2-0 and put Nigeria firmly in control of the final.
The second goal gave the Nigerians a stronger position as they moved closer to securing the championship.
Japan, however, refused to surrender and continued searching for a way back into the contest.
Their persistence eventually paid off in the 80th minute when Ito scored to bring the deficit down to a single goal.
The late strike offered Japan renewed hope of rescuing the match, but Nigeria managed to protect their advantage during the remaining minutes.
Despite Japan’s efforts to find an equaliser, the final whistle confirmed a 2-1 victory for Nigeria and secured the country’s place at the top of the tournament standings
•North Korea claim third place with Brazil victory
While Nigeria celebrated winning the championship, North Korea also finished the competition on a high after defeating Brazil 6-0 in the third-place play-off.
The match, which was also played at the Mohammed VI Football Complex in Salé on Saturday, saw the North Korean side produce a commanding performance to secure the bronze-medal position.
The result ensured that North Korea finished third, while Brazil missed out on a place among the tournament’s top three teams.
With the final and third-place play-off completed, the competition’s leading positions were confirmed.
Nigeria finished as champions, Japan secured the runners-up position, and North Korea took third place.
Morocco provides stage for global youth competition
The 2026 FIFA U17 Women’s World Cup brought together 24 national teams in Morocco for a competition that ran from 17 October to 7 November.
The tournament provided young female footballers from different parts of the world with an opportunity to compete against international opposition at the highest level of their age category.
All matches were staged at the Mohammed VI Football Complex in Salé, highlighting Morocco’s role as host of another major international football event.
The presence of 24 participating nations also gave teams from different continents the opportunity to compete for one of youth football’s major international honours.
For Nigeria, the tournament ended with the ultimate reward after their victory over Japan in the final.
Their 2-1 success ensured that the African side finished the competition as world champions, while Japan and North Korea completed the podium in second and third place respectively.
