Egypt out, Cote d’Ivoire in: Nigeria’s Flying Eagles set to face Baby Elephants ahead of U20 AFCON

Nigeria’s Flying Eagles will take on Côte d’Ivoire’s Baby Elephants in two friendly matches after their planned games against Egypt were called off, Soccernet.ng reports.

The Nigeria Football Federation has confirmed that the under-20 side will now play the host nation of the upcoming Africa U20 Cup of Nations (AFCON) on Wednesday, 26th February, and Friday, 28th February 2025 in Abidjan.

The Flying Eagles squad, which has been in camp in Abuja for weeks under head coach Aliyu Zubairu, will travel to Abidjan on Monday, 24th February.

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Zubairu had initially called up 30 players for the now-cancelled games against Egypt’s Young Pharaohs.

Flying Eagles head coach Aliyu Zubairu remains upbeat after Nigeria was drawn into a tough U20 AFCON group with Morocco, Egypt, and South Africa.

“It’s a great draw. If you aim for the FIFA World Cup, you can’t shy away from strong opponents. This is a great opportunity, and I… pic.twitter.com/d2bKZGFCLf

— Tolu Oguntimehin (@Tolu_TOTSPORTS) February 14, 2025

The matches against Egypt were scrapped after both nations were drawn into Group B of the upcoming AFCON U20 tournament, along with Morocco and South Africa.

With competitive action ahead, the Flying Eagles will now test themselves against Côte d’Ivoire, who will be eager to impress on home soil.

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Nigeria boast a strong recent record against their new opponents, having defeated Côte d’Ivoire 2-1 in the group stage of the WAFU B U20 Championship in Togo last October. That victory propelled the Flying Eagles into the semi-finals, where they went on to retain their regional title.

This is not the first time Nigeria and Côte d’Ivoire have crossed paths at youth level. One of their most famous encounters dates back 42 years, when they contested the Tessema Cup final—the former trophy for Africa’s U20 champions, named after CAF President Ydnekatchew Tessema.

The two-legged final in 1983 saw Nigeria edge their rivals 4-3 on aggregate, with the decisive moment coming from Dahiru Sadi’s long-range strike in Lagos. Both teams had already qualified for the FIFA World Youth Championship in Mexico, but the fixture decided the continental champion.

With the AFCON set to run from 26th April to 18th May, Nigeria will be aiming for a strong tournament, knowing that a semi-final place guarantees qualification for the FIFA U20 World Cup in Chile (27th September – 19th October 2025).