Nigeria’s U20 football team, known as the Flying Eagles, has commenced training camp in Abuja in preparation for two crucial friendly matches against Egypt. These encounters are scheduled for February 25 and February 27 in Cairo, marking a significant step in the team’s preparations for the upcoming 2025 Africa U20 Cup of Nations (AFCON).
According to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), the AFCON is slated to take place from April 26 to May 18 in Côte d’Ivoire. Team Administrator Aliyu Ibrahim confirmed that Head Coach Aliyu Zubairu has called up 30 players to join the training camp ahead of these international fixtures.
Ibrahim also noted that the top four teams from the AFCON tournament will secure spots to represent Africa at the FIFA U20 World Cup, set to be hosted in Chile from September 27 to October 19. The Flying Eagles have a storied history, having clinched the African championship title in 1983, 1985, 1987, 1989, 2005, 2011, and 2015. Recently, they emerged victorious at the WAFU-B U20 Championship held in Lome, Togo, in October 2024.
The complete roster of the invited players for the AFCON Tournament is as follows:
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)
- Abdulrahaman Ishaq (Sport Supply Academy)
- Ezekiel Anthony (Aspire Academy)
- Sodiq Olalekan Adewunmi (Jaguar Sports FC)
With their eyes set on qualifying for the World Cup, the Flying Eagles are gearing up for a rigorous training period as they face the challenges ahead in both the friendlies and the AFCON.
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