One Win, Four Defeats, 13 Goals Conceded: Analyzing Africa’S Rough Start To The U17 Women’S World Cup

The 2026 FIFA Women’s U17 World Cup began in Morocco at the weekend, and many countries are already showing their class and quality.

European nations, as expected, have hit the ground running. Spain, France, Germany, Norway and Poland all won their opening games, scoring 11 goals between them. Asian nations haven’t done badly either as Japan, China and North Korea won their openers and scored 14 goals combined.

The same can’t be said of the African nations, who struggled against European and Asian opposition. Ghana, Zambia and Kenya were thrashed, while Nigeria narrowly lost to Poland. In this report, we analyse Africa’s performance in the first round of the competition.

Defensive Lapses: One Clean Sheet, 13 Goals Conceded in Five Games

The African representatives struggled to contain their opponents’ attacking threats in the opening round of the group stage.

Zambia were beaten 5–0 by Japan, who dominated from start to finish. The Asian side exploited Zambia’s vulnerability in defence throughout the encounter.

Ghana’s Black Maidens fared little better, losing 3–0 to Norway, a country that had never won a game at the tournament. Norway’s only previous appearance came in 2025, when they lost all three group matches. They eventually got their breakthrough with a three-goal cushion as  Isabella Lepore's 30-yard strike in the sixth minute and Maia Melgård's second-half brace were sufficient. 

Nigeria’s Flamingos fared much better against Poland but their performance wasn’t enough, as they lost 2–1. The Polish ladies took the lead in the first half and doubled the tally in the second period before Nigeria reduced the deficit in the closing stages of the encounter. 

Kenya, who are making only their second appearance in the competition, lost 3–0 to China. Xu Yue gave the Chinese the lead in the 12th minute, and Xu Xiaotang scored twice within four minutes of the restart.

Of the five African representatives, Morocco were the only side to record a clean sheet and a victory in the first round. The hosts beat New Zealand 4–0 in front of their home fans.

Morocco: The Pride of African Football

Morocco are currently the pride of African football, following their recent exploits in world competitions. The Atlas Lions became the first African men’s team to reach a World Cup semi-final, at Qatar 2022. 

In 2025, the country’s U20 side won the FIFA U20 World Cup in Chile, beating Argentina 2–0 in the final. Morocco became only the second African nation after Ghana in 2009, to lift the trophy.

Meanwhile, the success isn’t limited to the men, as the women’s teams are also experiencing tremendous growth. At the ongoing U17 competition, Morocco are the only African nation with maximum points from the opening round. They didn’t just beat New Zealand; they did it in style, scoring four goals and keeping a clean sheet.

Predicting the Next Round: What Should Africans Expect?

A defeat in the first of three group games shouldn’t end the tournament for Nigeria, Ghana, Zambia or Kenya. Six points from the remaining two matches would give each of them a strong chance of progressing. However, the question is whether they can pick up maximum points in the next group matches. 

Starting with Nigeria, a win against debutants Puerto Rico is possible, considering the quality of both teams. Puerto Rico lost 6–0 to North Korea, while the Nigerian girls were unlucky not to earn a draw against Poland. Victory is essential, because the Flamingos’ final group game is against the reigning champions North Korea.

Ghana will face Brazil, who are always favourites in any competition. Though there is room for surprises in the round-leather game, the Black Maidens will need more than a miracle to beat a Brazilian side that came from behind to thrash Canada 6-2.

Zambia will fancy their chances against Venezuela in their second group game, knowing their hopes of progressing largely depend on the outcome. Venezuela lost 2–0 to France, and based on the first-round performances of both teams, Zambia should be able to get a positive result against the South Americans.

Like Ghana, Kenya will tackle one of the powerhouses of women’s football, the USA, in their second group game. While the underdogs could pull off a surprise, the Americans, who beat Samoa 17–0, are tipped to win comfortably. 

Kenya’s hopes of qualifying will depend on beating Samoa by a wide margin and hope other results will place them among the four best third-placed teams.

Morocco will face second-place Germany,  hoping to continue their bright start. Based on their effective game plan and execution against New Zealand, the Moroccan girls will be a hard nut to crack. 

With the backing of their fans, a draw would take them to four points and leave them well placed to reach the next phase.

Conclusion 

Nigeria, Ghana, Zambia and Kenya must tighten up their defence and take their chances if they are to stay in the tournament.

With two games left, none of them is out yet, and the next round will show whether the continent can bounce back.