NFF Sets July, September Return Dates for Flying Eagles, Golden Eaglets

The Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) has announced that the country’s U-20 and U-17 men’s national teams will resume camping later this year, with the Nigeria national under-20 football team scheduled to return in July and the Nigeria national under-17 football team in September.

According to a schedule released to BSN Sports, preparations for the Flying Eagles will commence first, despite the fact that substantive head coaches are yet to be appointed for either side. Applications for the vacant U-17 and U-20 coaching positions were submitted to the federation earlier this week.

“Tentatively, the Flying Eagles should resume in July while Golden Eaglets hit the camp in September ahead of their age-grade competitions,” a source disclosed.

He added, “This was done such that they can have more time to prepare for the championships.”

The NFF confirmed that appointments of coaches will be made public only after the selected candidates are ratified by its Executive Board.

As of February 2026, there is no scheduled WAFU B U-20 Championship for this year. The regional competition typically serves as a qualifying tournament for the Africa U-20 Cup of Nations.

However, the U-20 AFCON follows a biennial cycle. The most recent qualifying tournament in the WAFU B zone took place in May 2025, producing representatives for the FIFA U-20 World Cup.

The Confederation of African Football (CAF) has confirmed that the next U-20 Africa Cup of Nations tournaments after 2025 are scheduled for 2027, 2029 and 2031, effectively ruling out a 2026 edition.

Meanwhile, the 2026 U-17 Africa Cup of Nations will be staged in Morocco from April 25 to May 15, 2026. The tournament, organised by CAF, will feature 16 teams and also serve as a qualifying pathway to the FIFA U-17 World Cup in 2027.

Nigeria, five-time U-17 world champions, failed to qualify for the 2026 edition.

The teams confirmed so far for the tournament include hosts Morocco, Senegal, Mali, Guinea-Bissau, Ivory Coast, Ghana, Uganda, Tanzania, Ethiopia, South Africa, Angola and Mozambique, with four qualification slots still to be decided as some zonal competitions conclude.

As of February, the WAFU B competition calendar has not been released, leaving uncertainty over the date for the U-17 boys’ regional championship this year.

With coaching appointments pending and regional schedules still unfolding, Nigeria’s youth football programme enters a crucial period of planning and restructuring ahead of the next continental cycle.

Samuel Ahmadu

Samuel Ahmadu is a distinguished multimedia journalist and women's football expert with over 15 years of experience in the industry. On the back of domestic engagement since 2008, he began his international career journey 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.

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