Côte d’Ivoire 2025: Flying Eagles return to camp ahead Egypt friendlies
By Olaolu Joseph
Head Coach Aliyu Zubairu has invited 30 players to camp as Nigeria’s U-20 team, the Flying Eagles, prepare for a two-match tour of Egypt later this month.
Team Administrator Aliyu Lawal Ibrahim informed thenff.com that the seven-time African champions will face their Egyptian counterparts in Cairo in friendly matches scheduled for February 25 and 27.
This year’s Africa U-20 Cup of Nations will take place in Côte d’Ivoire from April 26 to May 18, with the top four teams qualifying for the FIFA U-20 World Cup in Chile, scheduled for September 27 to October 19.
The Flying Eagles, champions of Africa in 1983, 1985, 1987, 1989, 2005, 2011, and 2015, won the WAFU-B U-20 Championship held in Lomé, Togo, in October last year, securing their qualification for the finals in Côte d’Ivoire. They defeated Ghana’s Black Satellites 3-1 in the final.
The two-time FIFA U-20 World Cup runners-up (1989 and 2005) narrowly missed out on a semi-final spot at the last FIFA U-20 World Cup in Argentina, losing to South Korea after extra time.
Invited Players
Goalkeepers:
- Ifeanyi Harcourt (Sporting Lagos)
- Light Emerenonye (Diamond Academy)
- Abubakar Rufai (Mavlon FC)
Defenders:
- Adamu Maigari (El-Kanemi Warriors)
- Daniel Bameyi (Bayelsa United)
- Kenneth Igbokwe (Enugu Rangers)
- Haruna Aliyu (Wikki Tourists)
- Musa Ademu (Wireless FC)
- Shamsudeen Muhammad (Mavlon FC)
- Ibrahim Abdullahi
- Shamsudeen Ishaq (Grassrunner FC)
- Steven Jolomi (Mavlon FC)
Midfielders:
- Raphael Oyebanji (Shuffle Select FC)
- Mohammed Ibrahim (Niger Tornadoes)
- Kizito Opara (Campus Academy)
- Alabi Sulaiman Jojo (El-Kanemi Warriors)
- Sulaiman Abubakar (Diamond Academy)
- Shafiu Adamu (Wikki Tourists)
- Cletus Simon (Mavlon FC)
Forwards:
- Bidemi Amole (Real Sapphire Academy)
- Clinton Japhet (Enyimba FC)
- Matthew Chukwusa (Morack Academy)
- Nasiru Salihu (El-Kanemi Warriors)
- Divine Olisha (Fostar Academy)
- Jerry Salami (Aspire Academy)
- Oluwaseyi Akinfenwa (Real Sapphire Academy)
- Shola Adelami (Ikorodu City)
- Abdulrahman Ishaq (Sport Supply Academy)
- Ezekiel Anthony (Aspire Academy)
- Sodiq Olalekan Adewunmi (Jaguar Sports FC)
