The Flying Eagles have lined up two friendly matches against Ivory Coast after their scheduled games with Egypt were canceled.
Thank you for reading this post, don't forget to subscribe!The matches will take place in Abidjan on Wednesday, June 26, and Friday, June 28.
Team administrator Aliyu Ibrahim confirmed that the squad will depart Abuja for Abidjan on Monday.
The seven-time African champions have been in camp for weeks under head coach Aliyu Zubairu, who initially invited 30 players for the scrapped Egypt friendlies.
The matches against Egypt were called off after both teams were drawn into Group B of the 2025 Africa U-20 Cup of Nations, alongside Morocco and South Africa.
Nigeria heads into these friendlies with confidence, having beaten the Young Elephants 2-1 in the group stage of the WAFU B U-20 Championship in Togo last October—a victory that helped propel the Flying Eagles to the semi-finals before they ultimately won the tournament.
Both teams share a deep history in youth football, dating back 42 years to Nigeria’s dramatic 4-3 aggregate win over Ivory Coast in the Tessema Cup final—Africa’s former U-20 championship named after ex-CAF President Ydnekatchew Tessema.
Although both sides had already qualified for the 1983 FIFA World Youth Championship in Mexico, they fought for continental glory. After a 2-2 draw in Abidjan, Dahiru Sadi’s stunning long-range strike secured a 2-1 victory for Nigeria in the return leg at the National Stadium, Lagos.
Ivory Coast will host the 2025 U-20 AFCON from April 26 to May 18, with the top four teams earning tickets to the FIFA U-20 World Cup in Chile, set for September 27 to October 19.
