FIFA U-17 WWC Final: Nigeria vs Japan – date, time and where to watch

Nigeria’s Flamingos will face Japan in the final of the 2026 FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup in Morocco on Saturday, November 7, as they seek to make history by winning their first title.

The final, which will be the 52nd and last match of the tournament, will kick off at 7:30 p.m. Nigerian time at the Mohammed VI Football Complex, Pitch 3, in Rabat.

The encounter will be the first meeting between Nigeria and Japan at the FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup and the first time the two countries face each other in a global final.

Where to watch Nigeria vs Japan

Football fans can watch the final live and for free through FIFA+, with streaming available via DAZN.

How Nigeria reached the final

Nigeria’s campaign in Morocco did not begin as expected, as the Flamingos suffered a 2-1 defeat to Poland in their opening group match.

They subsequently recorded a narrow victory over Puerto Rico before producing one of the tournament’s biggest upsets by defeating defending champions DPR Korea 3-1.

The Nigerian side built on that result with victories over Mexico and Venezuela before overcoming Brazil in the semi-finals to secure a historic place in the final.

Queen Joseph was particularly impressive against Brazil, scoring a goal and providing an assist to help Nigeria reach their maiden U-17 Women’s World Cup final.

Nigeria are the first African country to reach the final of the competition.

How Japan reached the final

Japan, meanwhile, have been impressive throughout the tournament, winning all their group-stage matches without conceding a goal.

Although they fell behind against Kenya in the round of 16, Sadayoshi Shirai’s team recovered to secure a 3-1 victory.

They subsequently edged Ghana to reach the semi-finals, where they faced DPR Korea.

Japan came from behind in the closing stages, benefiting from a late own goal before winning the contest through a penalty shootout to book their place in a fourth U-17 Women’s World Cup final.

Players to watch

For Japan, Mei Hanashiro will be one of the players Nigeria must watch closely. The forward has scored four goals and provided one assist at the tournament, making her one of the team’s leading attacking threats.

Nigeria will look to Queen Joseph, whose pace and attacking quality have made her one of the standout players of the competition.

Her goal and assist against Brazil underlined her importance to the Flamingos’ title ambitions.

What the coaches and captains said

Japan coach Sadayoshi Shirai said his team were determined to complete their campaign by winning the trophy.

“We don’t want to stop here. We’ll continue moving forward, prepare as well as we can for the final, and give everything we have to become world champions.”

Japan captain Honoka Yotsumoto also expressed confidence ahead of the encounter.

“We’ve managed to overcome barriers that had held us back for so long, one step at a time – that has given us a lot of confidence. Now we have just one more match to win, and we’re determined to make history.”

Nigeria coach Akeem Busari said his team would approach the final with the same mentality they displayed against DPR Korea.

“It’s just about showing the same character and playing the same way we played with North Korea, because they play with the same philosophy. They want to build the ball, they look at the high line of passes, they want their full-backs to support, so we really want to look at all that. I’m excited and I’m happy, but we just really want to pick up the trophy. That would be the icing on the cake.”

Queen Joseph described reaching the final as a privilege and said the team were representing the entire continent.

“I feel very happy. Playing in the final is a big privilege, representing my country in the final is a big privilege for me. I’m super proud of myself and my team because we made history. We are not here just representing Nigeria; we are here representing Africa as a whole.”

Key facts ahead of the final

• Japan will play their 50th match in the history of the FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup.
• Only DPR Korea, who will face Brazil in the third-place match, have played more matches in the competition.
• Nigeria are the first African nation to reach the U-17 Women’s World Cup final.
• Japan coach Sadayoshi Shirai will become the competition’s record appearance-maker among coaches, with Saturday’s final marking his 16th match.
• A victory for Nigeria would make the Flamingos the first team to lose their opening match and subsequently go on to win the tournament.

Vanguard News

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