Flamingos Start W’Cup Race with Cracker in Kinshasa

Nigeria’s Under-17 girls, Flamingos will kick-start their chase for a ticket to this year’s FIFA U17 World Cup finals with a second round, first leg tie against their counterparts of the Democratic Republic of Congo in Kinshasa on Sunday.

The Flamingos, quarter finalists at the FIFA World Cup finals in 2010, 2012 and 2014, have been in camp for some weeks in the Federal Capital, Abuja and Head Coach Bankole Olowookere has selected 20 players who will do the battle with the characteristically –feisty Congolese on Sunday.

In the squad are two goalkeepers, seven defenders, four midfielders and seven forwards.

The Nigerian girls have participated in every edition of the FIFA U17 Women’s World Cup, bar one, since the tournament was launched in New Zealand in 2018. The only finals the Flamingos have missed remain the 2018 finals staged in Uruguay, when they were tripped at the final hurdle by Cameroon on the away-goal rule.

The return leg is scheduled for the Samuel Ogbemudia Stadium, Benin City on Saturday, 19th March, with the winner over two legs to clash with the Egyptian U17 girls in the third round of the African qualifying campaign next month.

The Nigeria delegation to Kinshasa will depart the shores of Nigeria today.