Women’s U17 football: Busari leads Nigeria to world title
By the AFREEQUE newsroom, based on Punch
Akeem Ishola Busari led the Flamingos, Nigeria’s women’s under-17 team, to their first world title after a 2-1 win over Japan on November 7, 2026. Appointed on April 2, he won the FIFA U17 Women’s World Cup seven months after taking charge, according to Punch.
Akeem Ishola Busari led the Flamingos, Nigeria’s women’s under-17 national team, to their first FIFA U17 Women’s World Cup title after a 2-1 win over Japan in the final in Morocco on Saturday, November 7, 2026. Nigeria thus became the first African country to win the competition, according to Punch.
Busari won the title seven months and five days after being appointed coach by the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) on April 2, 2026. He had previously coached Pacesetter Queens Football Club of Ibadan and was tasked with preparing the Flamingos for qualification for the World Cup hosted in Morocco, according to the NFF announcement cited by Punch.
National Institute for Sports (NIS) Director-General Philip Shaibu said Busari obtained his first coaching qualification from the institute in Lagos in 1999. He subsequently attended higher programmes there from 2003 to 2006, receiving his final coaching certificates in October 2006, according to remarks reported by Blueprint and reproduced by Punch.
The triumph came after several stages in the Flamingos’ preparation under Busari, including the formation of the squad that was to compete in qualifying from April 2026. The NFF appointed Busari to replace Bankole Olowookere, who led Nigeria to the bronze medal at the 2022 FIFA U17 Women’s World Cup in India, according to Punch.
