Nigeria’s Flamingos will attempt to make history when they face Japan in the final of the FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup Morocco 2026, with the world football governing body highlighting the contrasting records of both teams ahead of the encounter.
The final between Nigeria’s Flamingos and Japan will hold on Saturday, November 7, 2026, at the Mohammed VI Football Complex, Pitch 3, in Rabat, Morocco, with kick-off scheduled for 7:30 pm West Africa Time (WAT).
PUNCH Online on Saturday reported that FIFA, in a statistical preview published on November 5, noted that Nigeria could become the first country to lose its opening match at the competition and go on to win the trophy.
The Flamingos began their campaign with a 2-1 defeat to Poland but recovered to win their subsequent five matches and secure a place in the final.
The encounter will be the 10th final in the history of the competition, with Japan seeking their second title after previously winning the trophy in 2014.
Nigeria, meanwhile, are the first African country to reach the tournament’s final.
According to FIFA, Japan have been particularly impressive in front of goal, becoming the first team to score 150 goals in the history of the competition.
Their last-gasp equaliser against DPR Korea in the semi-final, which came through an own goal by Won Sol-gyong, took their historical tally to 150. They remain the competition’s all-time leading scorers, 26 goals ahead of the next-best team.
Nigeria have also demonstrated attacking strength, recording 113 attempts on goal in Morocco, the second-highest tally behind DPR Korea’s 186.
The Flamingos registered 35 attempts in their semi-final victory over Brazil, underlining their attacking threat ahead of the decisive encounter.
FIFA also highlighted the emergence of Awawu Bashiru, who made a significant impact against Brazil despite having played only 73 minutes in the tournament before the semi-final.
All her previous minutes had come as a substitute before she scored twice against Brazil and was named Player of the Match.
Japan, however, have demonstrated remarkable consistency at the tournament, with the final set to be their 50th match in the competition’s history.
Only DPR Korea, who will play their 51st match in the third-place play-off against Brazil, have featured in more matches.
Japan’s head coach, Sadayoshi Shirai, will also make history by taking charge of his 16th match at the tournament in the final, setting a new record for coaching appearances at the competition.
The Japanese are also among only two countries to have featured in all 10 editions of the tournament, alongside New Zealand.
Another notable statistic is the attacking contributions of Nigeria’s players. The Flamingos have had eight different goalscorers at Morocco 2026.
Oluwakemi Adegbuyi, Bashiru, Oluebube Umejiaku and Kanyinsola Yusuf have scored twice each, while Mary Dunstan, Queen Joseph, Azeezat Oduntan and Precious Oscar have recorded one goal apiece.
Both finalists have won five consecutive matches at the tournament, equalling the fourth-longest winning streak in its history.
Only Japan between 2014 and 2016, Spain between 2022 and 2024, and DPR Korea between 2025 and 2026 have recorded longer winning runs, with 11, nine and nine successive victories, respectively.
For Japan, the Morocco final will be their fourth appearance in the tournament’s showpiece match. They previously reached the finals in 2010, 2014 and 2016, winning their only title in 2014 after defeating Spain 2-0 in San Jose, Costa Rica.
Their defensive record has also been impressive, with only two goals conceded on their way to the final, against Kenya and DPR Korea.
FIFA noted that only DPR Korea in 2024 and Japan themselves in 2014 had conceded fewer goals at the same stage of the competition, although both editions featured one fewer match.
The statistics set up an intriguing final between Japan, the tournament’s most prolific historical side, and Nigeria, who are chasing an unprecedented achievement for African football.
