Nigeria’s U20 national team, the Flying Eagles, has begun preparations for the 2025 Africa U20 Cup of Nations in Cote d’Ivoire. Head Coach Aliyu Zubairu has invited 30 players to camp in Abuja for a two-match friendly tour of Egypt later this month.
According to Team Administrator Aliyu Lawal Ibrahim, the Flying Eagles will face their Egyptian counterparts in Cairo on February 25 and 27.
The Africa U20 Cup of Nations is scheduled to take place in Cote d’Ivoire from April 26 to May 18, with the top four teams qualifying for the FIFA U20 World Cup in Chile from September 27 to October 19.
The Flying Eagles, seven-time African champions, won the WAFU-B U20 Championship in Lome, Togo, last October, defeating Ghana’s Black Satellites 3-1 in the final.
The team has a rich history, having finished as runners-up in the FIFA U20 World Cup in 1989 and 2005.
Here is the list of players invited to camp:
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)
