While Nigeria’s Flamingos reassemble at the Remo Stars Sports Institute under Akeem Busari, their opponents in the final qualifying round are doing the same just across the border. Benin Republic’s Young Amazons have opened camp at the Missérété Excellence Centre with 30 players and a coach who knows exactly what is at stake.
Want our football coverage to show up first?
Add FootballInNigeria as a preferred source and our stories get a "Preferred" badge in your Google Top Stories, AI Overviews, and AI Mode results.
The countdown to the 2026 FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup qualifying final has begun on both sides. Benin Republic’s U-17 women’s team, the Young Amazons, have commenced their preparations for the decisive two legged tie against Nigeria’s Flamingos, with head coach Idah Azonsou assembling a squad of 30 players at the Missérété Excellence Centre as the West African neighbours prepare for what could be the most consequential women’s football fixture in either country’s recent history.
The full squad will be trimmed before the first leg, with Azonsou expected to work through a series of training sessions at Missérété before settling on the players he believes can handle the pressure of facing a Flamingos side that has scored 11 goals in two qualifying matches. Benin Republic supporters looking to back the Young Amazons on the road to Morocco can check the Bet9ja promo code for women’s international football markets ahead of the first leg on July 4.
The Fixture Details
Nigeria will host the first leg at the Remo Stars Sports Complex in Ikenne on Saturday, July 4. The return leg is scheduled for the following weekend at the Kégué Stadium in Lomé, Togo a neutral venue for the second match rather than a home ground in Cotonou, a logistical arrangement that adds its own layer of complexity for both squads. The overall winner on aggregate across both legs earns a place at the 2026 FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup in Morocco, which runs from October 17 to November 8, 2026.
Benin Republic advanced to this round by defeating Sierra Leone 5-1 on aggregate 3-0 in the first leg and 2-1 in the second a convincing qualification run that demonstrated their attacking threat and gave Azonsou a platform to build confidence within his group. Nigeria, for their part, demolished Guinea 11-0 on aggregate, with Flamingos captain Harmony Chidi scoring five goals across the two ties and NWFL Player of the Season Oluwakemi Adegbuyi contributing multiple goals from midfield. The Flamingos’ goal return is significantly more emphatic, but Busari’s own warning to his players that Benin Republic are a well-organised and dangerous side who should not be underestimated reflects a genuine respect for what Azonsou has built. Nigerian women’s football fans who want to follow both legs live can register on the Bet9ja platform using the YOHAIG code ahead of the July fixtures.
What Azonsou Brings
Idah Azonsou has developed a reputation within WAFU-B women’s football as a coach who organises his sides well and extracts strong collective performances from squads that, on paper, might be considered underdogs against the region’s stronger nations. Benin Republic women’s football has grown steadily in the past decade, with increased investment at youth level beginning to produce players capable of competing at this standard. The Young Amazons’ 5-1 aggregate win over Sierra Leone was not the result of overwhelming individual quality alone it reflected a team with a clear game plan and the confidence to execute it over two legs.
The challenge against Nigeria will be fundamentally different. The Flamingos play their first leg at home, in front of a crowd at the Remo Stars Sports Complex that will be loud and partisan from the first whistle. Benin Republic will need to absorb that atmosphere, defend with organisation, and look to take something useful from the first leg to carry into the return match in Lomé. Whether a 30 player training camp at Missérété can prepare them adequately for the scale of what awaits on July 4 is the question Azonsou is spending the next few weeks trying to answer. Supporters following the qualifier closely and wanting to bet on the aggregate outcome across both legs can get started with the Bet9ja sign-up offer before the first leg kicks off.
The Prize That Awaits
Morocco’s hosting of the 2026 FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup gives this qualification tie a particular weight for both sides. It will be the first time an African nation has hosted the tournament, and the opportunity to compete at a World Cup on the continent carries a different emotional resonance than competing in Asia or South America. For Nigeria’s Flamingos, who finished third at the 2022 edition and are widely regarded as one of the more competitive African sides in this age group, returning to the global stage would extend a proud record of World Cup appearances. For Benin Republic, reaching the tournament would represent the biggest moment in the history of their women’s football programme at any level. That gap in expectation and experience will be one of the most fascinating dynamics across the two legs in July.
📌 Did You Know?
- The Missérété Excellence Centre, where Benin Republic’s Young Amazons are currently camped, is located in Missérété, a town in the Ouémé Department of southern Benin Republic, approximately 30 kilometres northeast of Cotonou.
- The return leg between Benin Republic and Nigeria’s Flamingos will be played at the Kégué Stadium in Lomé, the capital of Togo a neutral venue rather than a home ground in Cotonou, which adds a layer of logistical complexity for the Benin Republic camp.
- Benin Republic’s Young Amazons defeated Sierra Leone 5-1 on aggregate in their previous qualifying round winning the first leg 3-0 before taking the return fixture 2-1 to advance to the final round against Nigeria.
- Nigeria’s Flamingos head coach Akeem Busari has publicly warned his players not to underestimate Benin Republic, describing the Young Amazons as a well drilled side who score goals a respect that reflects how seriously the Nigerian camp is taking the tie.
- The 2026 FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup will be held in Morocco from October 17 to November 8, 2026 making it the first edition of the tournament to be hosted on the African continent.
- Idah Azonsou, Benin Republic’s U-17 women’s head coach, has been working to develop a structured playing identity within the Young Amazons programme over the past several years, with the Sierra Leone win being one of the clearest demonstrations of that progress to date.
- Nigeria have appeared at the FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup eight times since 2008 and reached the semi finals of the 2022 edition in India, finishing third — the Flamingos’ best-ever result at the tournament.
