By Dayo Awoniyi
Nigeria’s U20 national team, have officially begun preparations for the upcoming WAFU U20 Nations Cup Invitational Tournament, set to take place in Ghana from June 15 to 30, 2025.
The Flying Eagles resumed camp on Monday, with their first training session scheduled for Tuesday.
The WAFU Invitational will feature 16 West African teams from Zones A and B and is expected to provide vital match experience ahead of the FIFA U20 World Cup later this year.
Team officials confirmed that the tournament will be used to evaluate player readiness, foster squad cohesion, and fine-tune tactical approaches in advance of the World Cup in Chile.
Nigeria will represent Africa at the global event alongside South Africa, Egypt, and Morocco, having already secured qualification.
The Flying Eagles are seen as strong contenders in the WAFU tournament and will aim to build momentum and confidence heading into the global stage.
With a packed summer ahead, the team’s early start to preparations underscores their determination to make a mark both regionally and internationally.
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.
