By Dayo Awoniyi
Nigeria’s Under-20 national team, the Flying Eagles, have been drawn in a favorable position for the 2025 U20 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) group stage, ensuring they will avoid both hosts Côte d’Ivoire and defending champions Senegal in the initial round of the tournament.
As top seeds, Nigeria, alongside Côte d’Ivoire and Senegal, will be kept apart in the group stage, setting the stage for thrilling matchups as the competition unfolds.
The draw has placed Congo, Egypt, and Zambia in Pot 2, while Ghana, DR Congo, Morocco, Sierra Leone, Kenya, South Africa, and Tanzania occupy Pot 3.
The top two teams from each group, along with the two best third-placed finishers, will advance to the quarterfinals.
The 2025 U20 AFCON, set to take place from April 28 to May 18, will also serve as a qualifying tournament for the U20 FIFA World Cup 2025 in Chile, with the semifinalists earning automatic spots in the global competition.
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.
