Nigeria’s Oluebube Umejiaku has been named the winner of the Golden Ball award as the best player of the 2026 FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup following her outstanding performances throughout the tournament.
The 16-year-old forward played a decisive role in Nigeria’s historic title-winning campaign, contributing a goal or an assist in every match she featured in as the Flamingos became the first African nation to win the U-17 Women’s World Cup.
Remarkably, the only game Umejiaku did not start was Nigeria’s opening fixture against Poland, which ended in a 2-1 defeat. She came off the bench to score Nigeria’s first goal of the tournament in that game, immediately making her impact felt.
She continued her impressive run in the group stage, providing an assist for Nigeria’s second goal in their 2-0 victory over Puerto Rico before scoring the second goal in the Flamingos’ 3-1 win against defending champions North Korea.
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In the round of 16, Umejiaku opened the scoring in Nigeria’s 2-1 victory over Mexico before playing another important role in the quarterfinals against Venezuela, where she won the penalty that Azeezat Oduntan converted to secure a 1-0 victory.
Her influence continued in the semifinals against Brazil, providing an assist for Nigeria’s third goal in an impressive 3-1 victory that secured the Flamingos’ place in the final.
Umejiaku then delivered another decisive performance in the final against Japan, scoring Nigeria’s second goal just two minutes into the second half to help the team secure a historic 2-1 victory and claim their maiden U-17 Women’s World Cup title.
Her remarkable consistency and contributions throughout the competition earned her the Golden Ball award, capping an unforgettable tournament for the young Nigerian forward.
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