Nigeria’s U-17 women’s national team, the Flamingos, will skip the first round of the 2026 FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup African qualifiers after being granted a bye, according to the draw released by the Confederation of African Football (CAF).

The draw for the African qualifiers, which kick off the road to Morocco 2026, was conducted on Saturday in Rabat by Jacqueline Shipanga, Technical Director of the Namibia Football Federation, CAF Elite Instructor, and former Namibia women’s national team coach.

A total of 31 African teams will compete across three knockout rounds, using a home-and-away format. Four teams will ultimately secure spots to represent Africa at the FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup finals in Morocco.

First-round fixtures, scheduled for April 10–12 with return legs on April 17–19, 2026, include Niger vs. Guinea, Burkina Faso vs. Benin, Sierra Leone vs. Côte d’Ivoire, Tunisia vs. Senegal, Algeria vs. Cameroon, and Togo vs. Ghana.

Nigeria will enter in the second round to face the winner of the Niger vs. Guinea tie. These matches are slated for May 22–24 and May 29–31, 2026.

If the Flamingos advance, they could meet Burkina Faso, Benin, Sierra Leone, or Côte d’Ivoire in the third and final qualifying round from July 3–5 and July 10–12, as they aim to return to the global stage.