October 25, 2026 | The Voice of Women Sport
African football has enjoyed an encouraging week at the FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup in Morocco, with Ghana, Nigeria and Kenya advancing to the Round of 16 following impressive performances in the group stage.
Ghana secured a vital 2–0 victory over Canada on October 24, with second-half goals from Linda Achiaa and Christiana Ashiaku.
Achiaa broke the deadlock shortly after coming off the bench, before Ashiaku sealed the result in stoppage time. The victory sent Ghana into the knockout stage, where they will face Argentina on October 28.
Nigeria produced one of the tournament’s biggest surprises by defeating defending champions North Korea 3–1. Goals from Oluwakemi Adegbuyi, Oluebube Umejiaku and Kanyinsola Yusuf secured a memorable victory for the West African side.
Kenya also delivered a remarkable performance, defeating Samoa 4–0 in their final group match. Mwanakombo Bakari scored twice, while Brenda Awuor and Gaudancia Maloba added a goal each.
Kenya’s four-goal victory secured qualification among the best third-placed teams and ended Canada’s remaining hopes of progressing.
Elsewhere, China defeated the United States 3–2 to finish top of Group E, while Spain completed the group stage with three consecutive victories.
The Round of 16 begins on October 28, with Africa’s representatives looking to build on their group-stage achievements.
For Ghana, Nigeria and Kenya, the next challenge will be turning promising performances into sustained success against some of the world’s strongest youth teams.
