Bankole Olowookere, Coach of Nigeria’s U-17 Women’s football team, the Flamingos, said the team would start adequate preparations ahead of the upcoming U-17 FIFA Women’s Football World Cup in Morocco.
Olowookere told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Friday in Abuja that the team has been classified in a tough group.
NAN reports that The draw, which was held in Rabat on Wednesday, saw the Flamingos drawn in Group D alongside Canada, France, and Samoa.
Reacting to the draw, Olowookere said: “We have been in Morocco since Monday and we have been working before and after the draw.
“Now that the draw is out, we have to increase our momentum of tedious work ahead of the competition,”he said.
The coach said “We find ourselves in a tough group, but we will rise to the challenge.
“Flamingos will not take the competition lightly and will start adequate preparations ahead of the tournament.
“This is a World Cup; every team is coming fully prepared, including the host country.
“We are not expecting to take any team for granted, but if it happens, we will thank God. If you’re going for a tournament like this, you should expect to meet the best of the best teams.
“We work hard to make Nigeria proud of us during the World Cup. We’re working daily to achieve our goals,” he said.
NAN reports that this will be Nigeria’s eighth appearance in the tournament, and the team aims to build on their past successes, including their bronze medal win in 2022.
For the very first time, 24 countries will take part in the tournament, which is the ninth edition since the competition was launched in New Zealand 17 years ago.
The groups are as follows:
Group A: Morocco, Brazil, Italy, and Costa Rica
Group B: Korea DPR, Mexico, Cameroon, and Netherlands
Group C: United States, Ecuador, China, and Norway
Group D: Nigeria, Canada, France, and Samoa
Group E: Spain, Colombia, Korea Republic, and Cote d’Ivoire
Group F: Japan, New Zealand, Zambia, and Paraguay
The 2025 FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup will take place in Morocco from Oct. 17 to Nov.8. (NAN)
