Flying Eagles resume camping for Côte d’Ivoire 2025 on March 10

By Olaolu Joseph

Nigeria’s U-20 team, the Flying Eagles, have embarked on a short break following their two-match tour of Côte d’Ivoire last week. Players and officials were given nine days off after arriving from Abidjan on Saturday evening. The team will regroup in Abuja on Monday, March 10.

Aliyu Zubairu’s squad won one and lost one of the two games, with captain Daniel Bameyi scoring from the penalty spot and forward Divine Oliseh doubling the lead in a 2-0 victory over the Ivorian Young Elephants on Wednesday. However, the hosts responded in the second match on Friday, securing a 2-0 win at the Stade Félix Houphouët-Boigny.

Nigeria will compete in Group B of this year’s Africa U-20 Cup of Nations, scheduled to take place in Côte d’Ivoire from April 26 to May 18. They will face Egypt, South Africa, and Morocco, with the top two teams in the group advancing to the quarter-finals.

With a 13-team tournament structure, three groups, and a five-team Group A, the top two teams from Groups B and C will also qualify for the quarter-finals, along with the two best third-placed teams from the three groups.

All four semi-finalists will represent Africa at the FIFA U-20 World Cup in Chile, set for September 27 to October 19.

2025 Africa U-20 Cup of Nations Groups

Group A: Côte d’Ivoire, UNIFFAC, DR Congo, Ghana, Tanzania
Group B: Nigeria, Egypt, South Africa, Morocco
Group C: Senegal, Zambia, Kenya, Sierra Leone