Nigeria’s Flying Eagles have learned their fate for the 2025 U-20 Africa Cup of Nations after being drawn into Group B alongside Egypt, South Africa, and Morocco. The draw took place on Thursday at the Confederation of African Football (CAF) headquarters.
As the top seed in their group, Nigeria will be looking to dominate and secure a spot in the knockout stages. Ahead of the tournament, Aliyu Zubairu’s squad will get an early test against Egypt in a friendly match later this month.
The Flying Eagles secured third place in the previous edition of the U-20 AFCON and will be aiming to improve on that performance. Meanwhile, hosts Cote d’Ivoire will compete in Group A against the Democratic Republic of Congo, Ghana, and Tanzania.
Defending champions Senegal have been placed in Group C, where they will take on Zambia, Kenya, and Sierra Leone.
The tournament format will see the top two teams from each group advance to the quarter-finals, along with the two best third-placed teams. The competition will be held in Cote d’Ivoire from April 26 to May 18, 2025.
Adding extra stakes to the tournament, the top four teams will automatically qualify for the 2025 FIFA U-20 World Cup, set to take place in Chile later in the year. With high expectations, Nigeria will look to secure their place on the world stage.