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Flamingos in Pot 1: Nigeria among top seeds as U17 World Cup draw holds in Rabat on Wednesday

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The draw for the much-anticipated FIFA U17 Women’s World Cup will take place on Wednesday, 4 June, in Rabat, Morocco — the administrative capital of the tournament’s host nation, Soccernet.ng reports.

This year’s edition hits a historic milestone, as the competition expands to feature 24 nations for the first time since its inauguration in 2008 in New Zealand.

Among the seeded nations for the draw is Nigeria’s U17 women’s national team, the Flamingos, who are set to be placed in Pot 1 alongside global powerhouses Spain, Japan, North Korea (defending champions), USA, and hosts Morocco.

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Nigeria booked their ticket to Morocco 2025 after securing a goalless draw away to Algeria in the final round of qualifying — sealing a 4-0 aggregate victory.

Nigeria’s Flamingos. Photo Credit X

That result extended their staggering unbeaten run in U17 Women’s World Cup qualifiers to 25 games, with their only defeat coming 17 years ago in a narrow 1-0 loss to Ghana in Accra.

This will be Nigeria’s eighth appearance in the global tournament, having only missed the 2018 edition in Uruguay. They now join Cameroon, Côte d’Ivoire, and Morocco as Africa’s representatives in the expanded 24-team competition.

Nigeria's U17 women national team, Flamingos.
Nigeria’s U17 women national team, Flamingos. Photo Credit X

The Flamingos, under the guidance of coach Bankole Olowookere, will be eager to build on their third-place finish in India in 2022 — Nigeria’s best-ever showing at this level.

Despite a valiant effort at the 2024 edition, their journey ended in the quarter-finals at the hands of the USA.

Nigeria's Flamingos.
Nigeria’s Flamingos. Photo Credit X

The 2025 tournament is set to begin on 17 October, with the 24 qualified teams drawn into four pots ahead of the group-stage fixtures.

Final Draw Pots:

  • Pot 1: Morocco, Spain, Japan, North Korea, USA, Nigeria
  • Pot 2: Brazil, Mexico, Colombia, Canada, New Zealand, Ecuador
  • Pot 3: China, Cameroon, South Korea, Italy, France, Zambia
  • Pot 4: Paraguay, Costa Rica, Netherlands, Norway, Côte d’Ivoire, Samoa