Japan captain, Honoka Yotsumoto, and head coach Sadayoshi Shirai are confident their team can win the 2026 FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup when they face Nigeria’s Flamingos in Saturday’s final.
The two sides will meet at Pitch 3 of the Mohammed VI Football Complex in Rabat, Morocco, with Japan seeking their first title in the competition’s history.
Japan have won all six matches on their way to the final, strengthening their title credentials with impressive victories over Ghana and North Korea. They will now look to maintain their unbeaten record and complete a perfect campaign by lifting the trophy.
Saturday’s encounter will also mark the first meeting between Japan and Nigeria in the competition, with both nations chasing their maiden U-17 Women’s World Cup title.
Yotsumoto believes her teammates have developed the confidence and resilience required to overcome their final challenge and make history.
“We’ve managed to overcome barriers that had held us back for so long, one step at a time – that has given us a lot of confidence. Now we have just one more match to win, and we’re determined to make history,” she told FIFA.
Shirai also stressed that reaching the final was not enough, insisting that his players remained focused on winning the championship.
“We don’t want to stop here. We’ll continue moving forward, prepare as well as we can for the final, and give everything we have to become world champions,” Shirai told FIFA.
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