Akeem Ishola Busari has etched his name in Nigerian football history after leading the country’s U-17 women’s national team, the Flamingos, to their first-ever FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup title, barely seven months after his appointment.

Mr Busari guided the young Nigerian side to a 2-1 victory over Japan in the final of the 2026 tournament in Morocco on Saturday, 7 November, making Nigeria the first African country to win the competition.

His achievement came seven months and five days after the Nigeria Football Federation appointed him head coach of the Flamingos on 2 April 2026.

From coaching education to national assignment

Mr Busari’s coaching journey began long before his appointment to the national team.

According to the Director-General of the National Institute for Sports, Philip Shaibu, the coach obtained his initial coaching qualification from the institute in Lagos in 1999.

He later returned for higher programmes between 2003 and 2006, with his final coaching certificates issued in October 2006.

Before taking charge of the Flamingos, Busari was the head coach of Pacesetter Queens Football Club of Ibadan.

He replaced Bankole Olowookere, who had led the team to a bronze medal at the 2022 FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup in India.

The NFF appointed Busari following a recommendation by its Technical and Development Committee, tasking him with guiding Nigeria through the qualifiers for the 2026 tournament.

Secures World Cup qualification

Barely eight days after his appointment, Mr Busari began assembling his squad, inviting 36 players to camp ahead of the qualifying campaign.

His first major assignment was the two-legged qualifying encounter against the Benin Republic.

The Flamingos won the first leg 3-2 in Ikenne, Ogun State, before defeating their opponents 5-3 in the return fixture in Lomé, Togo, to secure an 8-5 aggregate victory.

The result confirmed Nigeria’s qualification for the tournament in Morocco and marked Busari’s first major achievement with the team.

Rebuilds team ahead of Morocco tournament

After securing qualification, the coach intensified preparations for the global competition.

The NFF announced a 26-player provisional squad in August before releasing the final 21-player list on 6 October.

The selected squad featured captain Harmony Chidi, defenders Elizabeth Adesuyi and Esther Stephen, midfielders Mary Dustan and Favour Nkwocha, as well as forwards Queen Joseph, Precious Oscar and Oluwakemi Adegbuyi.

The team travelled to Morocco on 7 October ahead of the tournament, which began on 17 October.

Turns opening defeat into historic run

The Flamingos suffered a 2-1 defeat to Poland in their opening group match, but Busari’s side recovered strongly.

They defeated Puerto Rico 2-0 before recording a 3-1 victory over defending champions North Korea to advance to the knockout stage.

Nigeria subsequently defeated Mexico 2-1 in the Round of 16, edged Venezuela 1-0 in the quarter-finals and overcame Brazil 3-1 in the semi-finals to reach the final.

The victory over Brazil was particularly significant, as it made Nigeria the first African country to reach the final of the FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup.

Mr Busari’s tactical adjustments also came into focus during the knockout stages, particularly his decision to give Awawu Bashiru a starting role against Brazil. She responded with two goals to help Nigeria secure the victory.

Japan conquered as Nigeria makes history

The defining moment of Busari’s tenure came on 7 November, when the Flamingos faced Japan in the final at the Mohammed VI Football Academy in Rabat.

Awawu Bashiru opened the scoring in the 39th minute before Oluebube Umejiaku doubled Nigeria’s advantage shortly after the restart.

Japan pulled one goal back in the 80th minute, but the Nigerian side held on to secure a historic 2-1 victory.

Mr Umejiaku was subsequently named the tournament’s best player, winning the Golden Ball after an impressive campaign.

The triumph made Nigeria the first African nation to win the FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup and the first African women’s team to claim a FIFA World Cup title at any level.

‘A turnaround for Africa’

Reacting to the historic achievement, Busari described the victory as a major turning point for African youth football.

“This is a turnaround for Africa,” he said.

He added that the triumph demonstrated the continent’s growing competitiveness in youth football and would motivate more African teams to believe they could challenge for global honours.

“Being a champion is going to go a long way to really motivate us, and we are sending a signal, a message to the world that Africa is really coming,” he said.

Mr Busari’s success represents a remarkable progression from his appointment in April to lifting the world title in November. He has not only taken the Flamingos beyond their previous bronze-medal finish but also delivered a landmark achievement for Nigerian and African women’s football.