Shirai led Japan to victory in all their group matches, a feat achieved only by his team in the ongoing tournament in Morocco.
By Kehinde Okeowo
Japan U-17 women’s head coach Sadayoshi Shirai has declared that his team are fired up to make history when they face Nigeria’s Flamingos in the final of the 2026 FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup.
The Japanese tactician made this known ahead of the highly anticipated encounter during a candid interview with FIFA.com.
Japan reached the final of the tournament on Wednesday, 4 November, after defeating North Korea 4-1 on penalties following a 1-1 draw in their semi-final clash.
On the other hand, Nigeria beat South American powerhouse Brazil 3-1 in regulation time in the other last-four clash.
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The Asians will take on the West Africans in the final of the competition at the Mohammed VI Football Complex, Pitch 3, Rabat, on Sunday.
It will be the first-ever meeting between Japan and Nigeria at this level, with both nations gunning for their first title at the 2026 FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup.
Speaking ahead of the game, Shirai—who ensured Japan won all three group matches—said they wanted to go further by winning the trophy.
He further assured that his players will prepare as best as they can and give everything to become “world champions”.
Shirai said, “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.”
