U20 Afcon: “No weak or strong teams in African football” – Nigeria coach Aliyu Zubairu

By Dayo Awoniyi

Nigeria head coach, Aliyu Zubairu, has downplayed the idea of “easy” groups following Nigeria’s redraw in the upcoming U-20 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON), now set to take place in Egypt.

Nigeria, initially drawn alongside hosts Egypt, South Africa, and Morocco, was reallocated to a new group following Côte d’Ivoire’s withdrawal as hosts.

Following the latest draw, the Flying Eagles will now face Tunisia, Kenya, and Morocco in Group B.

Reacting to the revised grouping, Zubairu emphasized that African football has evolved beyond predictable outcomes.

“I think it’s high time we stop looking at some teams as bigger while some as smaller,” the coach said.

“I don’t think there is any minor opposition in Africa any longer; it all depends on your level of preparation.”

He criticized the tendency to label groups as “easy” or “tough,” stressing that every team poses a challenge.

“Imagine when the first draw was done, we called it a group of death simply because we were drawn alongside Egypt, South Africa, and Morocco,” he continued.

“Now we have a new draw that consists of Tunisia, Kenya, and again Morocco. We have started saying another difficult group. Which country do we want to play that is not tough?”

Zubairu instead called for focus on preparation over speculation. “All I will say is, how much have we prepared? That’s what should be the issue.”

Speaking on his team’s readiness, he expressed satisfaction with the progress made during their three-week training camp in Katsina.

“Going by what we observed in Katsina, the team has made tremendous improvement in terms of blending the team together and adopting a more advanced approach to matches,” he noted.

The Flying Eagles are expected to depart for Egypt for an eight-day final preparation phase ahead of the U-20 AFCON, which kicks off on April 27.

Nigeria’s ultimate goal in the tournament is to secure qualification for the 2025 FIFA U-20 World Cup, scheduled to be held in Chile.