Esther Okoronkwo
Nigerian footballer (born 1997)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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 national team.
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Okoronkwo in 2026 | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Ijeoma Esther Okoronkwo[1] | ||
| Date of birth | 27 March 1997[2] | ||
| Place of birth | Abia State, Nigeria | ||
| Height | 1.73 m (5 ft 8 in)[3] | ||
| Position | Forward[3] | ||
| Team information | |||
Current team | AFC Toronto | ||
| Number | 23 | ||
| College career | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2016–2017 | Northeast Texas Eagles | 33 | (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 | 20 | (8) |
| International career‡ | |||
| 2021– | Nigeria | 24 | (10) |
|
* Club domestic league appearances and goals as of 20 October 2025 ‡ National team caps and goals as of 24 October 2025 | |||
Early life
Okoronkwo was born in Abia State and raised in Richmond, Texas, United States.[3]
College career
Okoronkwo has attended the John and Randolph Foster High School. She spent two years at the Northeast Texas Community College, and then moved to Lamar University while she was recovering from a torn ACL.[4][3][5]
Club career
In June 2023, Okoronkwo joined Spanish Liga F club UD Tenerife.[6]
In February 2025, Okoronkwo signed with at Northern Super League club AFC Toronto.[7] 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.[8] She was named the NSL assist leader upon the conclusion of the inaugural NSL regular season, having tallied 7 assists that season and was also named to the league's Team of the Season.[9][10] On November 10, 2025, she scored a hat trick in a 4-1 victory over Montreal Roses FC, in the second leg of the playoff semi-finals, to help her club advance to the championship final.[11] On January 15, 2026, it was announced that she had signed a contract extension to keep her with AFC Toronto through 2027.[12] She scored in the opening game of the 2026 season, a 3-2 win over Vancouver Rise FC on 24 April 2026.[13]
International career
Okoronkwo made her senior debut for Nigeria on 10 June 2021 as a 43rd-minute substitution in a 0–1 friendly loss to Jamaica.[14]
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.[15]
Okoronkwo was called up to the Nigeria squad for the 2024 Summer Olympics.[16]
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.[17]
At the final match played on July 26, 2025 versus Morocco (in Rabat, Morocco), Okoronkwo converted a 60th minute penalty kick, set up Folashade Ijamilusi for a goal at 70th minute and threaded a weighted free-kick to Jennifer Echegini, who scored at the 88th minute.[18]
International goals
| No. | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | 23 February 2022 | Stade Robert Champroux, Abidjan, Ivory Coast |  Ivory Coast | 1–0 | 1–0 | 2022 Women's Africa Cup of Nations qualification |
| 2. | 21 February 2023 | Estadio León, León, Mexico |  Costa Rica | 1–0 | 1–0 | 2023 Women's Revelations Cup |
| 3. | 7 April 2023 | Marden Sports Complex, Alanya, Turkey |  Haiti | 1–0 | 2–1 | Friendly |
| 4. | 30 November 2023 | Onikan Stadium, Lagos, Nigeria |  Cape Verde | 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 | Cape Verde | 1–1 | 2–1 | |
| 7. | 26 February 2024 | Moshood Abiola National Stadium, Abuja, Nigeria |  Cameroon | 1–0 | 1–0 | 2024 CAF Women's Olympic Qualifying Tournament |
| 8. | 18 July 2025 | Larbi Zaouli Stadium, Casablanca, Morocco |  Zambia | 2−0 | 5−0 | 2024 Women's Africa Cup of Nations |
| 9. | 26 July 2025 | Olympic Stadium, Rabat, Morocco |  Morocco | 1−2 | 3−2 | |
| 10. | 24 October 2025 | Stade de Kégué, Lomé, Togo |  Benin | 2–0 | 2–0 | 2026 Women's Africa Cup of Nations qualification |
