Benfica forward Janet Akekoromowei has finally linked up with her Falconets teammates in Poland, having missed Nigeria’s opening U-20 Women’s World Cup match while sorting out paperwork in Portugal.
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Benfica’s new signing Janet Akekoromowei has joined up with her Falconets teammates at the ongoing FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup in Poland, ahead of Nigeria’s second group game against China PR on Thursday.
Documentation Delay Kept Her Out Of Spain Match
Akekoromowei was named in Nigeria’s final squad for the tournament but missed the team’s opening 2-0 defeat to Spain. It is understood she stayed behind in Portugal to complete documentation relating to her continued stay in the country and with Benfica. The Super Falcons’ official X account confirmed her arrival in Poland ahead of the China PR fixture.
A Rapid Rise Through Nigerian Football
Born in Ese-Odo, Ondo State, and raised in Lagos, the 18 year old is the youngest of eleven children. She made her name with Nasarawa Amazons in the Nigeria Women Football League, finishing the 2024/25 season as the league’s second highest scorer with 13 goals in 19 matches and picking up the league’s Most Valuable Player award.
She moved to Bayelsa Queens in July 2025 as part of the club’s build-up to their CAF Women’s Champions League and NWFL campaigns, and quickly became a key contributor, scoring important goals during the 2025 WAFU B Women’s Champions League qualifiers and earning Player of the Match recognition against Sam-Nelly FC and USFA. Despite an ankle injury sustained on international duty that limited her appearances, she was still voted the NWFL Premiership’s Matchday One Top Performer in the 2025/26 season, form that ultimately earned her a move to Benfica.
