By Teddy Nwanunobi
Regional dominance will be on the line today when two West African giants, Nigeria and Burkina Faso, square off today in the ongoing 2026 WAFU Zone B U-17 Girls Cup, at the Lycée Scientifique in Yamoussoukro, Côte d’Ivoire.
Nigeria’s Flamingos have started the tournament with two impressive wins, scoring nine goals in total in the process, and will look to maintain their perfect start when they face Burkina Faso today (Monday).
Coach Akeem Busari’s side sit top of the standings after two victories. The Flamingos opened their campaign with a commanding 5-0 victory over Niger on September 16 before overcoming Ghana 4-2 two days later, despite playing the closing stages with 10 players.
Nigeria’s impressive attacking form has been led by Harmony Chidi and Mary Dunstan, who have scored in both matches.
Against Niger, Chidi opened the scoring in the 16th minute before Awawu Bashiru doubled the advantage nine minutes before half-time. Ohunene Sunday, Mary Dunstan and Ayomide Rotimi completed the 5-0 victory.
The Flamingos produced another strong attacking display against Ghana. Oluwakemi Adegbuyi put Nigeria ahead in the 33rd minute before Chidi doubled the lead in first-half stoppage time.
Mary Dunstan made it 3-0 in the 70th minute, while Kaosarat Akanji completed the scoring with a free-kick goal in the 87th minute. Ghana scored twice in the second half, but Nigeria held on for a 4-2 victory despite Elizabeth Adesuyi’s 59th-minute red card.
Burkina Faso enters today’s encounter with one win and one defeat, having begun the competition with a heavy 4-0 defeat to Ghana on September 15 before recovering with a narrow 1-0 victory over hosts Côte d’Ivoire on September 18. Today’s encounter will see them seeking another upset.
The Burkinabe have, therefore, scored once and conceded four goals from their opening two matches.
Their victory over Côte d’Ivoire could give them confidence heading into the meeting with the tournament leaders, but they will face a Nigerian side that has scored nine times in two games.
Nigeria currently leads the competition after Matchday 2, and another victory would strengthen their position in the league-format race.
The Flamingos are also expected to face a different tactical challenge against Burkina Faso, who may adopt a more compact approach after their heavy defeat to Ghana and their disciplined performance against Côte d’Ivoire.
For Nigeria, patience, set pieces, and game management could prove important if Burkina Faso succeeds in keeping the contest tight.
From today, Nigeria’s remaining fixtures are: vs Burkina Faso (September 21, by 3:00 p.m., at the Lycée Scientifique, Yamoussoukro), vs Côte d’Ivoire (September 24, by 7:00 p.m., at the Lycée Scientifique, Yamoussoukro), and vs Togo (September 27, by 10:00 a.m., at the INPHB Centre).