Precious Oscar, Favour Nkwocha, Tosin Rafiu, Queen Joseph and goalkeeper Jane Ijirigho have rejoined the Flamingos as head coach Akeem Busari intensifies preparations for the global tournament in Morocco.
Their return is particularly important for the Flamingos because the five players arrive with valuable experience of competing against some of the world's leading youth teams.
Five players bring World Cup experience
The returning quintet were part of Nigeria’s Falconets squad at the 2026 FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup in Poland, where Nigeria reached the quarter-finals.
The Falconets produced an impressive run, including a 3-0 victory over England in the Round of 16, before their campaign ended with a narrow 1-0 defeat to Colombia in the quarter-finals.
Tosin Rafiu was among Nigeria’s standout performers during the tournament, scoring the opening goal in the victory over England. She had also scored against New Caledonia during Nigeria’s 10-1 group-stage victory.
The experience gained in Poland could prove valuable as the players return to the younger national team setup and prepare for another World Cup campaign.
Queen Joseph returns with previous Flamingos experience
Queen Joseph is also returning to a team with which she played an important role during the African qualifying campaign.
Joseph scored for Nigeria in the first leg of the final qualifying tie against Benin Republic before the Flamingos eventually secured an 8-5 aggregate victory to book their place at the FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup.
Her experience of the qualifying campaign, combined with the exposure she gained with the Falconets, gives Busari another proven attacking option as the Flamingos prepare for the global stage.
Goalkeeper Jane Ijirigho also has previous experience with the Flamingos, having featured during the qualifying campaign against Benin.
Flamingos arrive in Morocco with strong momentum
The returning players join a Flamingos squad that has already enjoyed an excellent build-up to the World Cup.
Nigeria recently won the 2026 WAFU-B U-17 Girls Cup in Côte d’Ivoire, completing a perfect campaign with five victories from five matches. The Flamingos scored 17 goals and conceded only two throughout the tournament.
Busari’s side defeated Niger Republic 5-0, Ghana 4-2, Burkina Faso 2-0, hosts Côte d’Ivoire 2-0 and Togo 4-0 in the final.
The triumph provided further evidence of Nigeria’s strength at U-17 level and gave the team valuable competitive preparation ahead of the World Cup.
Flamingos prepare for Morocco 2026
Nigeria qualified for the FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup after overcoming Benin Republic in the final African qualifying round. The Flamingos won the first leg 3-2 before completing an 8-5 aggregate victory with a 5-3 win in the return fixture in Lomé.
The 2026 FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup will be staged in Morocco from 17 October to 7 November, with Nigeria among Africa’s representatives.
With five players now returning from the U-20 World Cup, Busari has additional options who have recently experienced the intensity of a global tournament.
The combination of recent international experience, the WAFU-B title and the return of key players from the Falconets gives the Flamingos added depth as they enter the final phase of their preparations for Morocco 2026.