Nigeria women’s national under-17 football team have returned to camp in Ikenne-Remo following their emphatic 5-0 victory over Guinea women’s national under-17 football team in Abidjan as preparations intensify for the decisive second leg of the FIFA U17 Women’s World Cup qualifiers.

The Flamingos, bronze medallists at the 2022 FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup, travelled back to Nigeria on Sunday after a dominant first-leg performance in Côte d’Ivoire placed them firmly in control of the qualifying tie.

The Nigerian delegation departed Abidjan aboard ASKY Airlines at 9:35 a.m. local time and arrived in Lomé, Togo, an hour later before continuing their journey home from the Gnassingbé Eyadéma International Airport.

The team eventually arrived at their training base in Ikenne shortly after midnight.

Attention has now shifted immediately to the return leg scheduled for Sunday, May 30, at the Remo Stars Stadium.

With a five-goal advantage already secured away from home, the Flamingos will be aiming to complete the task in front of their home supporters as Nigeria continues their quest for qualification for the FIFA U17 Women’s World Cup in Morocco.

The convincing victory in Abidjan has further strengthened confidence within the camp as the young Nigerian side moves closer to another appearance on the global stage.

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Iran’s national soccer team attended visa appointments in the Turkish ‌capital Ankara on Thursday ahead of the 2026 World Cup, with the whole squad applying for Canadian visas and some players also submitting applications for U.S. entry.

The World Cup will be co-hosted ​by the United States, Canada and Mexico, with Iran due to play ​all three of their group-stage matches in the United States.

Iran are ⁠scheduled to face New Zealand on June 15 and Belgium on June 21 in ​Los Angeles before taking on Egypt in Seattle five days later. They would require ​access to Canada if they progress to the knockout rounds.

The whole squad attended appointments for Canadian visas, while some players who had not applied for U.S. visas before the Iran war also submitted ​applications in Ankara, an Iranian football federation official said.

Some foreign-based Iranian players joined the ​squad in Ankara before later travelling to the team’s training camp in Antalya on Turkey’s Mediterranean ‌coast, ⁠the official said.

Iran is holding a pre-tournament camp in Turkey after the Iranian domestic league was suspended following U.S. and Israeli strikes on the country that began on February 28, leaving many players short of match fitness.

The team trained in Antalya earlier ​this week as coach ​Amir Ghalenoei attempted ⁠to prepare his squad after most domestic-based players went seven weeks without competitive soccer during the suspension of the Iranian league.

Iran ​qualified early for the expanded 48-team World Cup, but preparations have ​been overshadowed ⁠by uncertainty over travel and security arrangements following the conflict between Iran, the U.S. and Israel.

Iran’s football federation had previously said U.S. visa applications for the team would be ⁠handled ​in Turkey after discussions with FIFA.

Iran are due to ​play Gambia in a friendly on May 29 before Ghalenoei names his final 26-man World Cup squad by ​FIFA’s June 1 deadline.

-Reuters

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Hull City will play Middlesbrough for a place in the Premier League after Southampton failed ​on Wednesday to overturn their expulsion from the Championship playoff final for spying on opponents.

Southampton were thrown ‌out of the final on Tuesday and handed a four-point deduction for next season, after they had beaten semi-final opponents Middlesbrough.

“The original sanction of expulsion… remains in place, as does the four-point deduction to be applied to the 2026/27 Championship table and the reprimand in respect ​of all charges,” the English Football League (EFL) said in a statement.

The final will be at London’s Wembley ​Stadium on Saturday, kicking off at 3:30 pm local time.

Southampton had admitted the charge of illegally ⁠spying on an opponent within 72 hours of a scheduled match. The alleged spy was caught recording a Middlesbrough ​training session from behind a tree ahead of the first leg.

The south-coast club beat Middlesbrough 2-1 on aggregate to reach ​the final, considered the richest game in world soccer with 200 million pounds ($268.68 million) guaranteed over three seasons through broadcast revenue, sponsorship and parachute payments.

Although Southampton CEO Phil Parsons said the club accepted that there should be sanctions, he added that they could not ​accept one “which bears no proportion to the offence”.

Southampton also admitted to similarly filming training sessions involving Oxford United in December ​and Ipswich Town in April during the regular season.

Middlesbrough had demanded Southampton be kicked out of the final to “protect the integrity of ‌the game” ⁠while threatening to take legal action if required.

“This is an extremely disappointing outcome for everybody connected with Southampton Football Club,” the Saints said in a statement after the verdict.

“We know how painful this moment will be for our supporters, players, staff, commercial partners and the wider community who have given so much backing to the team throughout the ​season and we apologise once ​again to everyone impacted by ⁠this.

“Southampton Football Club has a proud history and strong foundations, but it is clear that trust now needs to be rebuilt. That work begins immediately,” it added.

The legal ramifications ​could rumble on, with Hull City owner Acun Ilıcalı suggesting his club should go straight ​to the Premier ⁠League because Middlesbrough had not qualified for the final on the field.

“The Southampton decision is arguably one of the most consequential sports disciplinary decisions to date, and certainly is in terms of its potential financial impact,” said Andrew Street, a partner ⁠at ​law firm BCLP.

“Sponsors, players, and other clubs will now be looking at ​the details of the decision and its implications.

“Commercial partners of Saints are likely to look at their options, including termination or claims for breach ​of any reputational damage clauses that sponsors often insist upon.”

-Reuters

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