Growth of budding steel roses recognized

The FIFA U-17 Women's World Cup 2026 showcased improved standards of play and encouraging progress by several national teams, according to the tournament's Technical Study Group (TSG).

Nigeria beat Japan 2-1 in Saturday's final to claim its maiden U-17 Women's World Cup title, becoming the first African nation to lift the trophy.

The tournament was held in Rabat, Morocco, for the second consecutive year after FIFA made it an annual competition in 2025 and expanded the field to 24 teams.

Tihana Nemcic Bojic, a TSG member and former Croatia international, identified a more attack-minded approach as one of the tournament's main technical and tactical trends.

"What was the most interesting for me? It probably was one versus one situations in wide areas," she told reporters.

"I would highlight the courage and willingness of players to exploit those situations, using their body positions, first touch and different technical styles and elements.

"I connect it with the different team roles, starting with goalkeepers who have the intention to play long, going to midfielders who rotate a lot to create opportunities for the wing positions, and the center-forward position, a role that also changes. They are getting the ball into the final third faster."

Statistics compiled by the TSG ahead of the final supported Bojic's assessment.

The number of completed crosses increased by four percent compared with 2025, while passes from wide areas into the penalty area rose by 37 percent. Crosses were also delivered closer to the goal line, resulting in more cutbacks, while attempts on goal from crosses increased significantly.

Pascal Zuberbuhler, former Switzerland goalkeeper who is now a FIFA Senior Football Expert and led the TSG, said the tournament demonstrated the efforts that clubs and national associations were making to develop goalkeepers in women's football.

"They need to be courageous. They see, when in possession, where they need to send the ball and are able to deliver it there... by a through pass or even an overhead pass. And that was great to see," he said.

According to TSG figures, goalkeepers played more aerial passes and achieved higher completion rates. The proportion of goalkeeper passes played "into" and "onto" their targets also increased.

Goalkeepers also demonstrated improvements in their use of the "X-block," a technique in which they spread their arms and legs to block close-range shots. Both the number of successful X-blocks and the save rate increased compared with 2025, reflecting improved judgment of when and how to execute the technique.

Zuberbuhler singled out China's goalkeeper Niu Ziqi for her long-range distribution and ability to connect with teammates.

"They (China) are very good in this situation. And she was able to pass it directly to a player, or even deliver a through ball to run onto," he said.

"She has a fantastic long kick, and she knows exactly where to play."

Niu saved two penalties against France to help China win a shootout 4-3 following a goalless draw, sending the team into the quarterfinals for the first time at the U-17 Women's World Cup and surpassing its previous best performance of reaching the round of 16 in 2025.

Bojic, who has extensive coaching experience, said she was impressed by China's ability to prepare for different opponents and make pragmatic adjustments to its formation and game plan.

"This is probably one of the things they have progressed in most as a team. And they were very pragmatic in using their good defensive block with very nice counterattacks to score beautiful goals," she said.

"China was very tactically prepared, I would say, as demonstrated by the high quality of the defensive line and the attacking players — (Wu Yichen) on the left is very fast, and the center-forward (Fang Zhenzhu) — receiving the ball and protecting the space for others."

Bojic also praised China's 38-year-old coach Ma Xiaoxu, one of 20 promising female coaches enrolled in the third edition of FIFA's 18-month Elite Performance: Coach Mentorship Program.

"The coach is running the team in a very open way," she said.

"She is ambitious enough to try certain things and to develop her players, and not only chase the result.

"That's why the results came for them," she added.

"So, for me, it is very positive for China, and I'm very happy to see them progressing."

Bojic also highlighted the diversity of playing styles on display, saying there was no single approach or formation that guaranteed success.

"You need to play to a style that is related to your nature, character, what you have prepared for and what you believe in," she said.

Under Ma, China topped Group E with three wins from three matches, defeating Kenya 3-0, Samoa 7-0 and the United States 3-2.

China then edged France on penalties in the round of 16 before losing 2-1 to Brazil in the quarterfinals.

A traditional powerhouse in women's football, China finished runner-up at the 1996 Olympic Games and the 1999 Women's World Cup.

However, its standing in the women's game has declined over the last couple of decades, with the senior national team hovering between 15th and 20th in the FIFA rankings in recent years.

The junior team's progress is seen as an encouraging sign for the rebuilding of the senior national team. China's U-20 side also reached the knockout stage at this year's FIFA U-20 Women's World Cup.

"If you go a step forward, that is how these players grow to take the next step to the U-20 squad, and then, again, to the senior level. This pathway is interesting to follow," said Zuberbuhler.

"You see, the talent is there. We see it is very clear, the talent, the strategy, the coaching flexibility. Everything looks very good."

TSG specialists emphasized that holding the competition annually offered significant developmental benefits for young players, exposing them to different playing styles and higher levels of intensity at an early age.

"They have the opportunity to be in an international competition every year, which stimulates their development in ways that domestic competition probably cannot," said Bojic.

"They will have to learn how to perform and win against different playing styles, attitudes and footballing cultures. There is no greater school for players than this one."