After the cancellation of the scheduled friendly matches between Nigeria’s U20 team and Egypt’s U20 side, the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) has secured a new opponent to ensure the Flying Eagles test their readiness for the upcoming Africa U20 Cup of Nations.
The seven-time African champions will now face tournament hosts Cote d’Ivoire in two friendlies on Wednesday, February 26th, and Friday, February 28th, 2025, in Abidjan.
Aliyu Lawal Ibrahim, the Team Administrator, confirmed that the squad—comprising 30 players called up by Head Coach Aliyu Zubairu—has been training in Abuja for weeks. They are scheduled to depart for Abidjan on Monday, February 24th.
In their last encounter, Nigeria defeated Cote d’Ivoire 2-1 during the WAFU B U20 Championship group stage in Togo last October. That win secured their place in the semi-finals, which led to them eventually retaining the title.
Historically, Nigeria also edged Cote d’Ivoire 4-3 on aggregate in the 1983 Tessema Cup final—then the trophy for Africa’s U20 champions. The first leg in Abidjan ended 2-2, but a long-range goal by Dahiru Sadi secured a 2-1 victory in the return leg in Lagos. Both teams had already earned spots at the FIFA World Youth Championship (now FIFA U20 World Cup) in Mexico.
The Nigeria-Egypt matches were canceled after both teams were drawn into Group B of the Africa U20 Cup of Nations, alongside Morocco and South Africa. The tournament will be held in Cote d’Ivoire from April 26th to May 18th, with the top four teams qualifying for the FIFA U20 World Cup in Chile, scheduled for September 27th to October 19th.
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