Nigeria’s U-20 national team, the Flying Eagles, will reconvene on March 10 in Abuja after a brief break following their two-match tour of Ivory Coast.
The Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) confirmed the resumption date, stating that both players and technical staff had been granted a nine-day rest after returning from Abidjan last weekend.
During their friendly matches in Ivory Coast, the Flying Eagles produced mixed results.
They secured a 2-0 victory in the first match, with captain Daniel Bameyi converting a penalty and striker Divine Oliseh adding a second goal against the Young Elephants.
However, the Ivorians responded in the second encounter, defeating Nigeria 2-0 at the Stade Félix Houphouët-Boigny on Friday.
Focus shifts to AFCON U-20 tournament in Ivory Coast
The Flying Eagles are now turning their attention to the 2025 Africa U-20 Cup of Nations (AFCON U-20), set to take place in Ivory Coast from April 26 to May 18.
Nigeria has been drawn in Group B, where they will face Egypt, South Africa, and Morocco in what promises to be a competitive group stage.
The tournament will feature 13 teams divided into three groups, with Group A comprising five teams while the remaining two groups will each have four teams.
The top two teams from each group will qualify for the quarter-finals, alongside the two best third-placed teams from across all three groups.
Beyond continental success, the top four semi-finalists of the AFCON U-20 will secure automatic qualification for the FIFA U-20 World Cup, which is scheduled to take place in Chile from September 27 to October 19, 2025.
2025 AFCON U-20 group stage line-up:
- Group A: Ivory Coast, UNIFFAC, DR Congo, Ghana, Tanzania
- Group B: Nigeria, Egypt, South Africa, Morocco
- Group C: Senegal, Zambia, Kenya, Sierra Leone
With their return to training scheduled for March 10, the Flying Eagles will intensify their preparations in hopes of securing their eighth AFCON U-20 title and earning a place at the global tournament later this year.
