{"id":829908,"date":"2025-02-26T10:12:20","date_gmt":"2025-02-26T16:12:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/2025\/02\/26\/nigeria-vs-south-africa-flamingos-playing-catch-up-as-bantwana-ramp-up-world-cup-preparations\/"},"modified":"2025-02-26T10:12:20","modified_gmt":"2025-02-26T16:12:20","slug":"nigeria-vs-south-africa-flamingos-playing-catch-up-as-bantwana-ramp-up-world-cup-preparations","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/2025\/02\/26\/nigeria-vs-south-africa-flamingos-playing-catch-up-as-bantwana-ramp-up-world-cup-preparations\/","title":{"rendered":"Nigeria vs South Africa: Flamingos playing catch-up as Bantwana ramp up World Cup preparations"},"content":{"rendered":"

Soccer <\/p>\n

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With just weeks to go before their crucial 2025 FIFA U-17 Women\u2019s World Cup<\/a> qualifier, South Africa appear better prepared than Nigeria\u2019s Flamingos<\/a> ahead of their two-legged showdown on March 8 and March 15, Soccernet.ng<\/a> reports<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

While both teams are training for the decisive clash, South Africa\u2019s Bantwana have enjoyed a smoother build-up compared to Nigeria\u2019s Flamingos, whose preparations have been disrupted by player availability issues.<\/p>\n

South Africa\u2019s U17 head coach, Ntombifuthi Khumalo, has expressed satisfaction with her team\u2019s training camp.<\/p>\n

The Bantwana held an intensive week-long camp from February 16 to 22, fine-tuning their squad for the decisive fixtures.<\/p>\n

Khumalo is determined to assemble a competitive squad capable of overcoming Nigeria and securing a third FIFA U-17 Women\u2019s World Cup appearance for South Africa.<\/p>\n

\"Soccer
Nigeria\u2019s Flamingos. Photo by IMAGO<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The team is coming off an emphatic 21-2 aggregate victory over Gabon<\/a> in the first round, and the coach believes they are on the right track.<\/p>\n

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\u201cThe camp went very well because the reason we were trying to reinforce the team is to get strong players, especially our midfield. We were trying to find strong players that can measure up against the upcoming opponent (Nigeria),\u201d Khumalo told Safa<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

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CAF appoints Josephine Wanjiku as FIFA U17 Women\u2019s referee for next week\u2019s World Cup qualifier between Nigeria\u2019s U17 girls Flamingos, and their South African\u2019s, Bantwana, at Pretoria.#soccerbytes<\/a> #Worldcupqualifiers<\/a> #CAF<\/a> pic.twitter.com\/iQxASwtY2G<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 SoccerBytes (@SoccerBytes_) February 24, 2025<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

\"Soccer
Nigeria Flamingos. Photo Credit X<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Despite some challenges during the camp, Khumalo revealed that four new players had been identified as potential additions to the final squad.<\/p>\n

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\u201cYeah, in Under-17 youth football, there are so many aspects of the game you need to improve on individually, and group-wise,\u201d she explained.<\/p>\n

\u201cBut what we discovered from this camp, it was the talent, and I was also happy in terms of the level of fitness of the players that we introduced in the team. They are all ready. Most of them are at their fitness level. As far as the conditioning is concerned, it was great. So, for the next game, I\u2019m 100% happy because we will have a strong team to compete.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Get Our Sports News First \u2013 Join Our WhatsApp Channel Now!<\/a><\/h5>\n

Nigeria\u2019s Flamingos struggling to assemble full squad<\/h4>\n

While South Africa are making the most of their time together, Nigeria\u2019s Flamingos have faced hurdles in their preparations.<\/p>\n

Head coach Bankole Olowookere admitted that bringing the full squad together<\/a> has been challenging, with several players still engaged in league matches with their clubs.<\/p>\n

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\u201cThe turnout for the camp has been a bit low because some of the teams are still playing league matches,\u201d Olowookere explained, as quoted by Sportsration<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe are giving permission for the girls to finish their matches before returning to camp.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Although the current camp is smaller than usual, the Nigerian coach remains optimistic.<\/p>\n

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\u201cWe have a few players in camp, but some are still on their way. It\u2019s not a large camp, but it\u2019s manageable, and we\u2019re heading in a good direction,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Nigeria\u2019s World Cup pedigree vs South Africa\u2019s aspirations<\/h4>\n
\"Soccer
Nigeria\u2019s Flamingos celebrates a goal. Photo Credit X<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

While South Africa are looking to qualify for only their third FIFA U-17 Women\u2019s World Cup \u2014 having previously featured in 2010 and 2018 but exiting at the group stage \u2014 Nigeria boast a far stronger tournament history.<\/p>\n

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Nigeria beat USA 1-1 (4-3 on penalties) at the 2022 FIFA U-17 Women\u2019s World Cup.<\/p>\n

Nigeria finished third in the tournament. pic.twitter.com\/dFAXD2FAgr<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\u2014 Africa Facts Zone (@AfricaFactsZone) February 8, 2024<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

The Flamingos have qualified for seven of the eight editions of the World Cup, reaching the quarter-finals five times. Their best performance came in 2022, when they claimed the bronze medal, by beating the United States in the third place match.\u00a0<\/p>\n

With South Africa\u2019s well-structured preparation and Nigeria\u2019s late scramble to assemble a full squad, the upcoming clash promises to be a fierce battle.<\/p>\n

The Flamingos will need to rely on their experience and fighting spirit to overcome their well-drilled opponents and book their place at the 2025 FIFA U-17 Women\u2019s World Cup.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

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\"Soccer\t\t<\/p>\n

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\n\t\t\t\t\tImhonlamhen Eronmhonsele\t\t\t\t<\/a>
\n\t\t\t<\/h3>\n

\n\t\t\t\tImhonlamhen Eronmhonsele turns into a ball of passion when writing about Nigerian football and its talents, whether rising stars or established legends, locally and abroad.<\/p>\n

From the deepest corners of the Middle East, to the green fields of the Americas, to the celebrated grounds in Europe, and the rich soils of Africa, Imhons is more than glad, usually with a glass of a tasty drink nearby, to capture the essence of the game, by connecting the dots between culture, identity, and football.\t\t\t<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

Read More<\/a>Imhonlamhen Eronmhonsele<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Soccer With just weeks to go before their crucial 2025 FIFA U-17 Women\u2019s World Cup qualifier, South Africa appear better prepared than Nigeria\u2019s Flamingos ahead of their two-legged showdown on March 8 and March 15, Soccernet.ng reports. While both teams are training for the decisive clash, South Africa\u2019s Bantwana have enjoyed a smoother build-up compared […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":829909,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[27096,2005,683],"tags":[15956,7070],"class_list":["post-829908","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-nigeria","category-soccer","category-south","tag-nigeria","tag-south"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/829908","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=829908"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/829908\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/829909"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=829908"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=829908"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=829908"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}