U17 Afcon: Nduka Ugbade plots Nigeria’s qualification for FIFA U17 World Cup

The coach of Golden Eaglets, Nduka Ugbade has mapped up his plans to qualify Nigeria for the FIFA U-17 World Cup.

The FIFA U-16 World Cup winner in 1985 as a player is currently screening players to beef up his team as they eye a semi-final spot at the U-17 AFCON to guarantee qualification for the cadet World Cup.

“The situation now is that 12 countries are coming for the U-17 AFCON. There will be an extra match as two extra teams will be picked from the three groups as well as two best losers for the quarter-final and the semi-final,”  Ugbade told Brila FM.

The former Remo Stars FC gaffer revealed that reaching the semi-final and qualifying for the World Cup isn’t the ultimate but clinching the African title and attending the World Cup as African Champions.

He added: “If you qualify for the semi-final, automatically, you have qualified for the World Cup. Then you start to struggle to get to the final. Your struggle will have to lead you to struggle for the trophy.”

The 2023 FIFA U-17 World Cup will take place in Peru with Nigeria taking part in the U-17 AFCON in Egypt.

The top four African sides at the U-17 AFCON will qualify for the World Cup. The West African powerhouse will attempt a record-extending sixth FIFA U-17 World Cup title in Peru if the team can qualify.