With the 2025 Africa U20 Nations Cup kicking off in a few weeks in Cote d’Ivoire, seven-time African champions, Flying Eagles of Nigeria will open their campaign with an opening match with Egypt at the 20,000-capacity Amadou Gon Coulibaly stadium in Korhogo.

The encounter is billed to kick off at 5 pm Cote d’Ivoire time (6 pm Nigeria time).

  The Flying will next take on Morocco’s Young Atlas Lions at the same venue, starting at 8 pm local time (9 pm Nigeria time) on  Saturday, 3^rd May.

Nigeria, who qualified for the finals following a successful defence of their WAFU B U20 Championship title in Lome in October 2024, will then wrap up their group B campaign with a session against South Africa, also in Korhogo on Tuesday, 6^t May, starting from 5 pm local time (6 pm Nigeria time).

The Flying Eagles, quarterfinalists of the last edition of the FIFA U20 World Cup in Argentina in 2023, are currently camping in Katsina, courtesy of the State Government, in the first phase of their final preparations for the continental championship.

A semi-final spot in Côte d’Ivoire will guarantee the Eagles a spot in this year’s FIFA U20 World Cup finals in Chile, 27^th September – 19^th October.

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Nigeria head coach Aliyu Zubairu, has expressed his desire for a preparatory match against a North African team ahead of the U20 Africa Cup of Nations (U20 AFCON) in Côte d’Ivoire.

The Flying Eagles have been drawn into what has been labelled the “Group of Death,” featuring formidable opponents Morocco and Egypt.

The team had initially planned a friendly against Egypt last month, but the fixture was called off after both sides were drawn into the same group for the upcoming tournament.

“We will still want to play against a North African team before the AFCON because this will prepare us for the tournament,” Zubairu stated.

Mixed Results in Côte d’Ivoire Friendlies

The Flying Eagles this week engaged in two test matches against U20 AFCON hosts Côte d’Ivoire, securing a 2-0 victory in the first match before suffering a 2-0 defeat in the rematch on Friday

Zubairu explained that he deliberately experimented with a different tactical approach and rotated his squad in the second fixture.

“We played a second tactic and we lost the game even though we also made some changes in the team,” he said. “All the same, what we wanted to see, we have seen.”

Path to the FIFA U20 World Cup

The 2025 U20 AFCON is scheduled to take place from April 26 to May 18 in Côte d’Ivoire, with the four semi-finalists earning a ticket to the FIFA U20 World Cup in Chile.

Nigeria will be aiming to secure their place on the global stage while contending with some of Africa’s toughest teams in the group stage.

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Following the cancellation of an initial friendly match with Egypt, the Nigeria Football Federation has secured a replacement team.

Both Nigeria and Egypt had earlier agreed on a friendly match. But both were later grouped in the U-20 Africa Cup of Nations holding in Cote d’Ivoire.

The match against Cote d’Ivoire will hold on 26 and 28 February in Abidjan.

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