Flamingos of Nigeria To Face Mexico in U-17 World Cup Round of 16

Nigeria’s Flamingos will face Mexico in the Round of 16 of the 2026 FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup in Morocco on Thursday, with both teams seeking a place in the quarter-finals.

The Flamingos head into the knockout clash after recovering from a 2-1 opening defeat to Poland to record victories over Puerto Rico and defending champions North Korea.

Nigeria beat Puerto Rico 2-0 before securing an impressive 3-1 win over North Korea to finish second in Group B with six points.

Mexico also bounced back from an opening 2-0 loss to Spain, defeating Chile 3-1 to strengthen their knockout-stage hopes.

Against Chile, Mexico came from behind after Catalina Muñoz opened the scoring, with Mia Urbano, Citlalli Reyes and Nicole Jimenez finding the net to seal the victory.

Nigeria will look to build on their performance against North Korea, with Oluwakemi Adegbuyi, Oluebube Umejiaku and Kanyinsola Yusuf scoring in the victory.

However, the Flamingos will need to maintain their attacking momentum and improve defensively after conceding twice in their opening match against Poland.

Mexico’s comeback victory over Chile suggests they could pose a difficult challenge for Nigeria in the knockout encounter, where a defeat would end either team's campaign.

The match in Salé presents the Flamingos with an opportunity to advance to the quarter-finals and continue their pursuit of the tournament title.