Nigeria U20 head coach Aliyu Zubair is upbeat ahead of his side’s quarter-final clash against Senegal’s U20 national team at the 2025 CAF U20 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON).
With seven U20 AFCON titles to their name, Nigeria remains the most successful team in the competition’s history.
For a chance to earn an eighth title, the Nigerians will need to overcome the Young Teranga Lions in the quarter-final stage on Monday, May 12.
Speaking in a pre-match interview ahead of the game, Coach Aliyu Zubair said that while Nigeria respects Senegal, they are determined to stop them in the upcoming showdown.
“We respect all opponents, including Senegal as defending champions. But Nigeria has been in that position before. This time, we are coming to be the ones to stop them and run our race into the semi-finals,” the Nigeria U20 coach said.
He added, “We are very confident. We want to get to the semi-final—just to win the match.”
The quarter-final clash between the defending champions and Nigeria will kick off at 12:00 GMT at the Ismailia Stadium.
The winner will advance to the semi-finals and secure qualification to the FIFA U20 World Cup in Chile.
