Côte d’Ivoire 2025: Flying Eagles embark on break, to resume camping on March 10

Nigeria’s U20 boys, Flying Eagles, have embarked on a short break following their two-match tour of Cote d’Ivoire last week. Players and officials were given nine days off as they arrived from Abidjan on Saturday evening, with the team to regroup in Abuja on Monday, 10^th March.

Aliyu Zubairu’s charges won one and lost one of the two games, with captain Daniel Bameyi scoring from the penalty spot and forward Divine Oliseh making it 2-0 against the Ivorian Young Elephants on Wednesday. However, the table was turned in the second match on Friday, with the hosts running away 2-0 winners at the Stade Félix Houphouët Boigny.

Nigeria will contend with Egypt, South Africa and Morocco in group B of this year’s Africa U20 Cup of Nations, taking place in Cote d’Ivoire 26^th April – 18^th May, with the two top-placed teams in the pool guaranteed spots in the quarter finals.

With a 13-team final tournament, three pools and a five-team group A, it means that the two top-placed teams in the other two groups also qualify for the last eight, alongside the best two third-placed finishers in the three groups.

All four semi-finalists will fly Africa’s flag at this year’s FIFA U20 World Cup finals scheduled for Chile, 27^th September – 19^th October.

2025 AFRICA U20 CUP OF NATIONS

GROUP A: Cote d’Ivoire, UNNIFAC, DR Congo, Ghana, Tanzania

GROUP B: Nigeria, Egypt, South Africa, Morocco

GROUP C: Senegal, Zambia, Kenya, Sierra Leone

PHOTO 1: HIGH STUDS – Flying Eagles’ Wasiu Ajisafe (right) in action with a Young Elephant during the first match.

PHOTO 2: EYES ON THE BALL - Emmanuel Okoro gets the better of his opponent during the second match.

President Federation Cup: National Play-Off Fixtures

MEN

Ahudiyannem FC (Abia) Vs OISA FC (Imo) – Enugu

Eagle Eye FC (Akwa Ibom) Vs E-World (Cross River) – Owerri

De Sapele Lions (Delta) Vs Assemblies of God FC (Edo) – Awka

El-Shama FC (Gombe) Vs Velvot Academy (Adamawa) – Jalingo

Technobat FC (Taraba) Vs Flight FC (Benue) – Jos

Gujba Academy (Yobe) Vs CP Strikers (Borno) – Gombe

Kogi Central LG (Kogi) Vs Harmony FA (Niger) – Abuja

Sunshine Stars U19 (Ondo) Vs COPDEM FC (Ekiti) – Osogbo

Simon Ben FC (Kaduna) Vs Zamfara United (Zamfara) – Katsina

Discovery Talent Academy (Kebbi) Vs Sokoto North FC (Sokoto) – Minna

WOMEN

First Mahi Babes (Ebonyi) Vs Queen of Softlanding FC (Enugu) - Aba

 All matches will be played on Wednesday, 5^th March 2025. Non-appearance of any participating club at a match venue will attract a fine of N1,000,000, and failure to redeem the fine will lead to a two-year ban from the competition.