By Dayo Awoniyi
Nigeria’s U-20 national team, will resume training on Wednesday evening as preparations intensify for their semifinal showdown against South Africa at the ongoing 2025 CAF U-20 Africa Cup of Nations in Egypt.
The seven-time African champions booked their place in the last four after defeating defending champions Senegal 3–1 on penalties, following a goalless draw in regulation and extra time.
The victory also confirmed Nigeria’s qualification for the 2025 FIFA U-20 World Cup in Chile.
Wednesday’s training session, scheduled for 4:00 p.m. Nigerian time in Ismailia, will focus on recovery and tactical adjustments ahead of Thursday’s crucial fixture.
Their semifinal opponents, South Africa, advanced with a 1–0 win over the Democratic Republic of Congo. With both teams eyeing a spot in the final, the clash promises to be a high-stakes contest.
In the other semifinal match, tournament hosts Egypt will face Morocco. All four semifinalists — Nigeria, South Africa, Egypt, and Morocco — have secured qualification for next year’s U-20 World Cup.
The semifinals are scheduled for Thursday, with Nigeria and South Africa facing off in the early kickoff.
Samuel Ahmadu is a distinguished multimedia journalist and women's football expert with over 15 years of experience in the industry. He began his career at Goal.com in February 2014, where he served as an African women's football correspondent for nearly eight years. During his tenure at Goal.com, Samuel covered major events such as three Women's Africa Cup of Nations (2016, 2018, 2022) and the 2015 FIFA Women's World Cup in Canada plus 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia. His work at Goal.com earned him widespread acclaim, particularly for his in-depth profiles of African football stars, notably Asisat Oshoala, whose rise he documented from her early years to her breakthrough at the FIFA U20 Women's World Cup in 2014. Prior to his role at Goal.com, Samuel freelanced for various print and broadcast media outlets in Nigeria, including Graphics Newspaper, Radio Nigeria, Grace FM, and Savid Newspaper. His extensive experience and expertise led to his appointment to the Nigeria Football Federation's Standing Committee on Women's Football Development from 2016 to 2018. Since February 2018, Samuel has been the Social Media Manager for Nigeria's women's national teams.In 2019, Samuel joined the Confederation of African Football (CAF) as a women's football content contributor and was promoted to Women's Football Editor in 2021. His contributions to women's football continued as he worked as a Media Consultant for Content Creation and Editorials at the 2022 CAF Women's Champions League. Currently, Samuel also serves as the spokesman for the Nigeria Women Football League, further solidifying his influence and dedication to the growth of women's football in Africa.
