Nigeria’s Flamingos emerged champions of the WAFU Zone B U17 Girls Cup after completing a flawless campaign, while Ghana’s Black Maidens finished second following an impressive victory over hosts Côte d’Ivoire on the final day of the competition in Yamoussoukro.
The tournament, which brought together seven member associations of the WAFU Zone B region, concluded with another exciting day of action as the young talents showcased their abilities and gained valuable international experience.
Nigeria began the final day with a commanding 4-0 victory over Togo to maintain their 100 per cent winning record. Harmony Chidi scored twice, while Oluebube Omejiaku and Oluwakemi Adegbuyi added a goal each to complete the victory. The Flamingos finished the competition with 15 points from five matches, scoring 17 goals to secure the title without dropping a point.
Ghana followed with an equally convincing 4-0 triumph over hosts Côte d’Ivoire to finish second in the standings. Saidatu Wahab opened the scoring for the Black Maidens, taking her tournament tally to five goals to emerge as the competition’s top scorer. Gloria Adomako, Philipa Mannebe and Cynthia Nana also found the back of the net as Ghana concluded their campaign with 12 points.
Despite finishing second behind Nigeria, Ghana recorded the highest goal tally of the tournament, scoring 20 goals across their five matches. Their impressive attacking performances highlighted the quality and potential within the squad, while providing the players with valuable experience against opposition from across the region.
In the final match of the competition, Burkina Faso recorded their biggest victory of the tournament with an emphatic 8-0 win over Niger. The result provided a fitting conclusion to their campaign and underlined the competitive opportunities presented by the tournament to the participating teams.
Beyond the final standings and individual achievements, the WAFU Zone B U17 Girls Cup fulfilled its primary objective of supporting the development of women’s football across the seven member associations. The competition provided young players with the opportunity to compete in a structured international environment, gain match experience and improve their technical and tactical understanding of the game.
By offering regular competitive exposure at an important stage of their development, the tournament also created opportunities for coaches and technical teams to assess emerging talents, identify areas for improvement and strengthen their respective youth development programmes.
The successful conclusion of the competition reinforces WAFU Zone B’s commitment to investing in the next generation of women’s footballers, with the aim of building a stronger foundation for the future of the women’s game across the region.
WAFU ZONE B COMMUNICATIONS