Nigeria bring World Cup experience and record-breaking goalkeeper to Morocco

Nigeria's U17 World Cup squad includes the tallest player at the tournament, a captain who made her World Cup debut at just 14. The senior national team recently lost at the AFC Women's Africa Cup and failed to qualify for the Women's World Cup 2027, so the U17 women’s team now has a chance to lift everyone’s spirits. 

Nigeria arrived at the U17 Women's World Cup in Morocco with several players who are already familiar with international tournaments. Their campaign, however, did not get off to the start they had hoped for. After losing 2:1 to Poland in their opening match, they needed a result against the outsider Puerto Rico to keep their chances of progressing from Group B alive.

They secured a 2:0 victory on Tuesday, with Oluwakemi Adegbuyi opening the scoring and supersub Precious Oscar adding a second goal in stoppage time. Goalkeeper Jane Ijirigho also played an important role, making two saves to prevent Puerto Rico from finding an equaliser.

Jane Ijirigho: The tallest player at two World Cups in one year

At 1.92 metres, Jane Ijirigho is the tallest player among all 504 footballers competing at this year's U17 Women's World Cup in Morocco. The Nasarawa Amazons goalkeeper holds another unusual distinction. She was also the tallest player at the U20 Women's World Cup in Poland earlier this year.

But her contribution to Nigeria goes beyond her physical attributes. Against Puerto Rico, Ijirigho made an important intervention to deny Isabella Sanabria-Cora, tipping her powerful effort over the crossbar. She also prevented Aleeya Olmo from scoring as Nigeria protected their narrow lead before adding a second goal in the stopage time.

Following the match, the head coach Akeem Busari praised her performances at the tournament. "For Jane, she's having a fantastic tournament," the Nigerian coach told FIFA. "We want everybody to be like that in our team to help the team's performance."

Chidera Chidi: From scoring at 14 to captaining Nigeria

Chidera Chidi was just 14 when she scored at the 2024 U17 Women's World Cup in the Dominican Republic. Two years later, the Bayelsa Queens forward has returned to the competition in a different role. She is now Nigeria's captain and one of the team's most experienced attacking players.

Chidi played an important part in securing Nigeria's qualification for Morocco, scoring five goals during the qualifying campaign. She added another three at the WAFU B U17 Girls' Cup in September, helping Nigeria win the regional tournament.

Her performances also attracted FIFA's attention. Ahead of the World Cup, the governing body included her among six players to watch, selecting one footballer from each confederation.

Her experience distinguishes her from many players at this level. While some members of Nigeria's squad are competing at their first major international tournament, Chidi already knows what it means to score on the World Cup stage.

Now she faces a different responsibility from the one she had in 2024. As captain, Chidi is expected not only to contribute goals but also to help guide a young team through a demanding group.

With North Korea awaiting Nigeria in their final group match, that experience could become particularly valuable. It is a difficult challenge for a team that finished third at the 2022 U17 World Cup and is still searching for its first title.