Oluebube Umejiaku Wins Golden Ball at U-17 World Cup

Oluebube Umejiaku, a forward for the Flamingos, won the Golden Ball at the 2026 FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup. She expressed that her motivation stems from her desire to alleviate her mother's suffering, having grown up in a financially challenged family.

Umejiaku stated, “I cannot give up” on her football career, emphasizing her mother's hardships as her primary inspiration. Throughout the tournament in Morocco, where the Flamingos made history as the first African nation to win the competition, Umejiaku was instrumental, scoring or assisting in every match.

She scored Nigeria's first goal against Poland, contributed to victories over Puerto Rico and Korea DPR, and played a crucial role in the knockout stages, scoring against Mexico and Venezuela, and assisting in the semi-final against Brazil. Umejiaku scored the second goal in the final against Japan, solidifying her impact on the team's success.