Nigeria’s Flamingos did not just win the World Cup — they produced its best player too. The Umejiaku Golden Ball story was confirmed on Saturday night in Rabat, when Oluebube Umejiaku was named the winner of the adidas Golden Ball as the outstanding player of the 2026 FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup.
The 16-year-old Heartland Queens forward collected the game’s highest individual honour hours after firing Nigeria to a historic 2-1 victory over Japan in the final at the Mohammed VI Football Complex. It was the perfect ending to a tournament in which she scored four goals, provided two assists and contributed to a goal in all seven of Nigeria’s matches.
Umejiaku Golden Ball: the goal that sealed it
Umejiaku saved her biggest moment for the biggest stage. With Nigeria already ahead through Awawu Bashiru’s 39th-minute opener, she doubled the lead two minutes into the second half, controlling a long pass from Esther Stephen before lifting the ball over the advancing Japan goalkeeper.
Fuki Ito pulled one back for Japan in the 80th minute, but the Flamingos held on to become the first African nation to win the U-17 Women’s World Cup — and the first African women’s team to claim a FIFA world title at any age level.
Umejiaku was also named Player of the Match in the final, making her the fifth different Flamingos player to take that honour during the tournament. FIFA’s official awards announcement confirmed that her strike against Japan was her fourth goal of the competition.
Four goals, two assists — and a hand in every game
The Umejiaku Golden Ball award was no reward for one night’s work. Umejiaku scored in the round of 16 against Mexico, won the penalty that secured the quarter-final victory over Venezuela, and had a direct hand in a goal in every single one of Nigeria’s seven matches in Morocco.
Her consistency was the heartbeat of a remarkable campaign. The Flamingos lost their opening game to Poland, then won six matches in a row to lift the trophy — a run built on a team that kept finding goals when it mattered most, with Umejiaku at the centre of it.
For a player still only 16 and playing her club football with Heartland Queens in Nigeria’s domestic league, the award is a defining moment. She arrived in Morocco as one of the Flamingos’ brightest prospects; she leaves it as the best player in the world at her age group.
The full list of award winners
Umejiaku was not the only star recognised in Rabat. DPR Korea’s Yu Jong-hyang took the Silver Ball, while Japan forward Fuki Ito — who scored against Nigeria in the final — collected the Bronze Ball.
United States forward Maddie DiMaria won the Golden Boot with a record 12 goals, despite her country’s quarter-final exit, while DPR Korea goalkeeper Kim Son-gyong received the Golden Glove after helping her side to the bronze medal with a 6-0 win over Brazil in the third-place match. Japan, beaten finalists, took home the FIFA Fair Play Trophy.
Tinubu hails the champions
President Bola Tinubu congratulated the Flamingos after the final, praising goalscorers Bashiru and Umejiaku by name as Nigeria celebrated a first-ever world title in the women’s game.
The triumph also gives Nigeria a unique place in football history. The country is now the first to win titles in both the men’s and women’s U-17 World Cup categories — a double that underlines the depth of talent coming through the Nigerian system.
For the senior Super Eagles, the timing could hardly be better. Eric Chelle’s side host Tanzania in Uyo on Friday, November 13, before the return fixture in Dar es Salaam four days later, and the Flamingos’ success has given the whole Nigerian football family something to celebrate before those decisive qualifiers. For more on the qualifiers, check today’s predictions.
Image: SportsBuddy graphic design — no player photograph was used.
