Nigeria U17 Women’s Team Qualifies for World Cup

The Nigerian U17 women's football team qualified for the U17 Women’s World Cup, set to take place from October 17 to November 7 later this year, after triumphing over Benin in the final qualifying round with an aggregate score of 5-3. In the second leg, held in Togo, Nigeria secured a nail-biting 3-2 victory, thanks to a hat-trick from Queen Joseph.

The first leg ended in a 3-1 win for Nigeria, with goals from Mari Akpan and Dustan, and an equalizer from Esther Stephen Joseph. Benin initially took the lead in the second leg with a goal from Romain Gandon, but Nigeria responded with Joseph scoring a penalty early in the second half.

Despite Benin's efforts, including a second goal from Gandon, Joseph's third goal broke their spirit and confirmed Nigeria's qualification. This victory marks Nigeria's fourth qualification for the tournament, which will be hosted by Morocco.