By Dayo Awoniyi
Nigeria’s U-20 national football team, the Flying Eagles, have resumed camp in Abuja as preparations intensify ahead of the 2025 Africa U-20 Cup of Nations.
Head coach Aliyu Zubairu led the team’s first training session on Monday, marking the beginning of the final phase of their build-up to the tournament.
A total of 35 players have been invited to camp, including seven foreign-based talents.
The squad includes a core group of players who featured prominently during Nigeria’s successful qualification campaign at the WAFU B regional tournament in Togo.
Nigeria has been drawn into Group B of the competition, where they will face Morocco, South Africa, and host nation Egypt—one of the toughest groups in the tournament.
The Flying Eagles, who have a storied history in the U-20 AFCON, are aiming to add to their record seven titles.
The West African side is now focused on refining tactics, building chemistry, and ensuring optimal fitness levels ahead of their group stage matches.
Nigeria’s opening game in the tournament is expected to set the tone for their campaign, as they look to reaffirm their status as one of the continent’s dominant youth sides.
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.
