Nigeria U-17 women’s national team head coach Hakeem Busari says reaching the semi-finals of the FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup is a significant milestone in his coaching career, but insists his ambition is to guide the Flamingos into the final and win the trophy.

Busari, who has taken Nigeria into the last four of the 2026 tournament in Morocco on his first attempt as Flamingos head coach, says the achievement will only be complete if the team can crown its impressive campaign with silverware.

“It is a great achievement for me and my coaching career to reach the semi-finals of the World Cup. I want to play in the final and win the trophy because the effort we have put in needs to be crowned with something good,” he told SavidNews.com.

The Nigerian coach, however, cautioned his players against becoming carried away by their progress, stressing that the team remains a work in progress and must continue to approach every challenge with humility, discipline and determination.

“We want to tell the girls that we are not there yet. We are still in the building process, and we continue to work hard. We are not relying on our own power or might; it is by God’s grace that we will continue to make progress,” Busari added.

Attention has now shifted to Wednesday’s semi-final against Brazil, with Busari expecting a different tactical challenge from the South Americans. He identified their use of long balls and attacking efficiency as areas his technical crew must carefully assess before the encounter.

“Every team is different, and Brazil is another game entirely because they play long balls. We really need to look at what we can manipulate, identify their areas of strength and efficiency, and work out how to approach the game,” he explained.

The Flamingos booked their semi-final ticket with a hard-fought 1-0 victory over Venezuela in Sunday’s quarter-final, thanks to captain Azeezat Oduntan’s 89th-minute penalty after Oluebube Umejiaku was fouled inside the box.

Brazil, meanwhile, secured their place in the last four after coming from behind to defeat China 2-1, with Helena scoring twice to set up the meeting with Nigeria.

Busari acknowledged the quality of the Brazilian opposition but expressed confidence that his players could rise to the occasion as they pursue a place in the final.

“I know it is going to be a contested game, but by God’s grace, we will come out successful,” he said.

The semi-final, scheduled for Wednesday, November 4, at the Mohammed VI Football Complex in Rabat, offers Nigeria an opportunity to reach the final of the competition for the first time since the Flamingos’ bronze-medal campaign in 2022.