Following Nigeria’s Flamingos’ historical 2026 FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup victory, the Senate on Tuesday pledged a financial reward of N100 million in recognition of their achievement at the international football tournament.
The Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, announced the commitment on behalf of the red chamber during plenary, following the consideration and adoption of a motion sponsored by Senator Abdul Ningi, which called for national recognition and adequate rewards for the young footballers and commended the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) for its role in the team’s achievement.
The lawmakers also urged the federal government to provide additional financial incentives to the players, describing their achievement as a source of pride for Nigeria, Africa, and the girl child.
The Senate further called on the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) to ensure that the players remained together after the competition to strengthen their understanding, preserve their teamwork, and prepare them for future international assignments, particularly at the senior level.
The Flamingos made history on Saturday by becoming the first African team to win the tournament after defeating Japan 2–1 in the final in Morocco.
Awawu Bashiru opened the scoring for Nigeria in the 39th minute before Oluebube Umejiaku doubled the lead two minutes into the second half. Japan pulled one back in the 80th minute, but the Nigerian side held on to secure the title.
The victory capped an impressive campaign in which the Flamingos recovered from a 2–1 opening defeat to Poland to win five consecutive matches.
They defeated defending champions North Korea 3–1, Mexico 2–1, and Venezuela 1–0 before recording a 3–1 victory over Brazil in the semi-finals to reach their first-ever final at the competition.
Nigeria’s previous best finish at the tournament was third place in 2022, when the team defeated Germany on penalties.
Before the World Cup, the Flamingos had also won the 2026 WAFU-B Under-17 Girls Cup in Côte d’Ivoire, winning all five matches, scoring 17 goals and conceding just once.
Packaged by Lanre Olabisi
