Nigeria’s Flamingos have been urged to put their group-stage success behind them and maintain their concentration when they face Mexico in the Round of 16 at the 2026 FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup in Morocco.
Acting General Secretary of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF), Dr Emmanuel Ikpeme, delivered that message during a visit to the team’s afternoon training session in Rabat on Wednesday.
The Flamingos meet Mexico on Thursday, October 29, with a place in the quarter-finals at stake as Nigeria continue their pursuit of the title.
Ikpeme encouraged the players to remain determined and focused, while warning them not to allow their victory over Korea DPR to distract them from the challenge of knockout football.
Nigeria recorded wins over Puerto Rico and defending champions Korea DPR during the group stage, but head coach Hakeem Busari has already stressed that those results must not lead to complacency.
Busari told his players to prepare mentally and physically for the greater intensity of the knockout stages, where a single match will determine whether their World Cup campaign continues.
The last-16 tie also revives a previous meeting between Nigeria and Mexico at the FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup.
The teams faced one another at the 2014 tournament in Costa Rica, with Nigeria claiming a convincing 3-0 victory in a Group D match on March 23, 2014.
Rasheedat Ajibade, Uchenna Kanu and Aminat Yakubu scored for the Flamingos in that encounter, which was played at the Estadio Nacional in San Jose.
Nigeria will now aim to reproduce that result and carry their strong group-stage form into Thursday’s contest. Victory would secure a quarter-final place, while defeat would bring their campaign in Morocco to an end.