Nigeria’s U-17 Women’s National Team, the Flamingos, have welcomed back five players who were part of the country’s U-20 Women’s National Team, the Falconets, at the recently concluded 2026 FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup in Poland to camp.
Queen Joseph, Favour Nkwocha, Precious Oscar, Tosin Rafiu and Jane Ijirigho have rejoined the Flamingos setup as the team intensifies preparations for the 2026 FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup in Morocco.
The five players were part of the Falconets team that reached the U-20 World Cup quarter-finals, picking up valuable experience against top youth sides. Nigeria beat England 3-0 in the Round of 16 before narrowly losing 1-0 to Colombia in the quarter-finals.
Their return gives the Flamingos players with recent experience on the world stage, adding more confidence and competitiveness to the squad.
Queen Joseph was particularly influential during Nigeria’s U-17 World Cup qualifying campaign, scoring a hat-trick in the 5–3 second-leg victory over Benin as the Flamingos secured an 8–5 aggregate win to qualify for the World Cup in Morocco.
Tosin Rafiu also shone at the U-20 World Cup, scoring Nigeria’s opener in the 3-0 Round of 16 win over England. Favour Nkwocha and Precious Oscar also played in that game, while Jane Ijirigho was part of the Falconets squad.
Their return gives the Flamingos added international experience as head coach Hakeem Busari continues to build his squad for the FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup.
