Flamingos’ World Cup win means nothing unless they are given a chance to succeed

On the first day of 2026, no one would have thought Nigeria’s Flamingos would be the only shining light in what has been a terrible year for Nigerian football. 

From the Super Eagles missing out on the World Cup to the Super Falcons failing to qualify for next year’s 2027 FIFA Women’s World Cup, 2026 has been a year to forget for Nigerian football. 

However, despite all that happened this year, the Flamingos showed that there is still hope for Nigeria’s football after winning the FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup. 

Coach Akeem Busari’s girls became the first African nation to win the competition after beating Japan 3-0 in the final. 

Following the result, the team’s feat was celebrated and praised by fans and notable personalities, including former Super Eagles captain Sunday Oliseh. 

With that said, as much as the girls deserved to be celebrated, the win does not really matter in the grand scheme of things because age-grade competitions are not necessarily about winning but about players’ development. 

This win only matters if most of the players on this team go on to become pillars of the Super Falcons in the future, or have successful careers, although not necessarily in football.

This is because we have seen previous Nigerian teams achieve the same feat as the Flamingos, but most of the players on those teams never went on to do much because no plans were in place to help them grow and develop further.

The men’s U-17 teams have won the world title five times, but how many players from these teams went on to make a name for themselves? 

Only a handful from these teams went on to play for the senior national team and had decent careers at the professional level. 

As for the other players on these teams, the majority of them never got the chance to make something out of the early success they had because there were no structures in place that would have helped them progress and develop further. 

In Nigeria [and for a larger part, Africa], they see these age-grade competitions as a win-now at all costs, instead of using them to discover talents who will eventually go on to become pillars of the senior national team in the future. 

This is why Nigeria overcelebrates success in age-grade competitions while forgetting the primary purpose of these tournaments. 

However, the country cannot afford to make the same mistakes with this U-17 girls' team by rewarding them with cash prizes, when the focus should be on supporting their growth and development. 

This is not to say the girls should not be rewarded for their success, but the reward should be measured and also tailored towards what will benefit them in the future. 

A heavy cash reward does not help them, as they are still young girls and will probably not get to spend the money wisely because of black tax. 

Instead, they should be placed on scholarships and should be given things that will help them in the future, especially if football does not work. 

The truth is that most of these girls might not play football at a very high level or represent the Super Falcons, but if they receive scholarships and investments are made in their names, they can at least have something to fall back on if football does not work out. 

The onus is now on NFF to ensure that these girls are placed in an environment that helps them develop further and gives them a chance to succeed, especially if they fail to overcome the brutal challenges of professional football.