Flamingos hit Abuja camp ahead of crucial clash against Burkina Faso
The Nigeria U17 women’s football team, the Flamingos, have kicked off their preparations for the upcoming 2024 FIFA U17 Women’s World Cup Qualifier against Burkina Faso.
The team, under the guidance of head coach Olowookere Bankole, have convened at their training camp in Abuja.
Coach Bankole has finalized his squad selection, inviting 25 talented players to represent Nigeria in the crucial qualifier matches against Burkina Faso.
The first leg of the encounter is scheduled to take place on May 11, 2024, in Burkina Faso, with the return leg set to be held in Abuja, Nigeria.
All invited players are expected to report to the camp in Abuja on April 24, 2024, to commence training ahead of the important fixtures. Among the invited players are Nwachukwu Prisca, Adebayo Jumai, Adegoke Khadija, Ibrahim Ayoade, Olowookere Oluwatoyin, Azeez Rokibat, and Okezie Onyedikachi, alongside others such as Afolabi Taiwo, Aderemi Mary, and Moshood Shakira.
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The African qualifying tournament, organized by CAF, consists of four rounds held between December 8, 2023, and June 16, 2024. The final round, scheduled for May and June 2024, will see Nigeria facing Burkina Faso, while Ethiopia takes on Kenya and Morocco battles Algeria. The winners of these two-legged ties will secure qualification to the 2024 FIFA U17 Women’s World Cup.
The list of already qualified nations for the World Cup includes Brazil, Colombia, Dominican Republic (as the host country), Ecuador, Mexico, New Zealand, and USA. This edition of the U-17 Women’s World Cup will be the last to feature 16 teams before expanding to 24 teams for the subsequent edition.
In the remaining qualification competitions, teams from the Asian AFC, CAF, CONMEBOL, UEFA, Concacaf (alongside the host Dominican Republic), and OFC will vie for the remaining spots. The participating 16 teams will be divided into four groups, with the top two teams from each group advancing to the quarter-finals, followed by semi-finals, a third-place playoff, and the final.
The 2024 FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup is scheduled to take place from October 16 to November 3. The tournament marks the first time that the Dominican Republic will host a FIFA tournament, with Spain emerging as the defending champions following their victory in the 2022 edition held in India. In the previous edition, Nigeria’s Flamingos clinched the bronze medal after defeating Germany on penalties.
