![]() Okoronkwo in 2025 | |||
Personal information | |||
---|---|---|---|
Full name | Ijeoma Esther Okoronkwo [1] | ||
Date of birth | [2] | 27 March 1997||
Place of birth | Abia State, Nigeria | ||
Height | 1.73 m (5 ft 8 in) [3] | ||
Position(s) | Forward [3] | ||
Team information | |||
Current team | AFC Toronto | ||
Number | 23 | ||
College career | |||
Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
2016–2017 | Northeast Texas Eagles | ? | (28) |
2018–2021 | Lamar Lady Cardinals | 39 | (35) |
Senior career* | |||
Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
2021–2023 | Saint-Étienne | 27 | (7) |
2023–2024 | UD Tenerife | 10 | (2) |
2024–2025 | Changchun Dazhong Zhuoyue | ||
2025– | AFC Toronto | 10 | (4) |
International career‡ | |||
2021– | Nigeria | 23 | (9) |
* Club domestic league appearances and goals as of 15 July 2025 ‡ National team caps and goals as of 26 July 2025 |
Ijeoma Esther Okoronkwo OON (born 27 March 1997) is a Nigerian professional footballer who plays as a forward for Canadian Northern Super League club AFC Toronto and the Nigeria women's national team.
Okoronkwo was born in Abia State and raised in Richmond, Texas, United States. [3]
Okoronkwo has attended the John and Randolph Foster High School, the Northeast Texas Community College and the Lamar University. [4] [3]
In June 2023, Okoronkwo joined Spanish Liga F club UD Tenerife. [5]
In February 2025, Okoronkwo signed with at Northern Super League club AFC Toronto. [6] On 1 May 2025, she scored both goals in a 2–1 victory over Calgary Wild FC, to help the club earn their first win in club history. [7]
Okoronkwo made her senior debut for Nigeria on 10 June 2021 as a 43rd-minute substitution in a 0–1 friendly loss to Jamaica. [8]
On 23 February 2022, she scored her first goal against Ivory Coast in a 2022 Women's Africa Cup of Nations qualification match in Ivory Coast, after receiving a pass from Michelle Alozie. The goal gave Nigeria a 1-0 away victory over the Ivory Coast and ensured qualification for the 2022 Women's Africa Cup of Nations with a 3-0 aggregate scoreline.
On 16 June 2023, she was included in the 23-player Nigerian squad for the FIFA Women's World Cup 2023. [9]
Okoronkwo was called up to the Nigeria squad for the 2024 Summer Olympics. [10]
At the 2024 Women's Africa Cup of Nations (WAFCON), Okoronkwo emerged as the talisman for the Super Falcons. During the quarter finals, she scored once and created two assists in the 5-0 demolition of Zambia to advance the Falcons to the semi final. [11] At the final match played on July 26, 2025 versus Morocco (in Rabat, Morocco), Okoronkwo repeated her antics, powering the team to a come from behind 3-2 victory where she converted a 60th minute penalty kick, set up Folashade Ijamilusi for a goal at 70th minute and threaded a perfectly weighted free-kick to Jennifer Echegini who scored at the 88th minute. [12]
No. | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1. | 23 February 2022 | Stade Robert Champroux, Abidjan, Ivory Coast | ![]() | 1–0 | 1–0 | 2022 Women's Africa Cup of Nations qualification |
2. | 21 February 2023 | Estadio León, León, Mexico | ![]() | 1–0 | 1–0 | 2023 Women's Revelations Cup |
3. | 7 April 2023 | Marden Sports Complex, Alanya, Turkey | ![]() | 1–0 | 2–1 | Friendly |
4. | 30 November 2023 | Onikan Stadium, Lagos, Nigeria | ![]() | 4–0 | 5–0 | 2024 Women's Africa Cup of Nations qualification |
5. | 5–0 | |||||
6. | 5 December 2023 | Estádio Nacional de Cabo Verde, Praia, Cape Verde | ![]() | 1–1 | 2–1 | |
7. | 26 February 2024 | Moshood Abiola National Stadium, Abuja, Nigeria | ![]() | 1–0 | 1–0 | 2024 CAF Women's Olympic Qualifying Tournament |
8. | 18 July 2025 | Larbi Zaouli Stadium, Casablanca, Morocco | ![]() | 2−0 | 5−0 | 2024 Women's Africa Cup of Nations |
9. | 26 July 2025 | Olympic Stadium, Rabat, Morocco | ![]() | 1−2 | 3−2 | |
Nigeria