Nigeria: Flying Eagles on alert as WAFU B confirms new dates for regional tourney in Ghana

Nigeria's Flying Eagles will begin preparations for their WAFU B U-20 title defence after the West African Football Union B officially announced fresh dates for the 2025 U20 Cup of Nations, Soccernet.ng reports. 

Originally scheduled for mid-June in Prampram, Ghana, the regional showpiece has now been rescheduled to hold in Accra from July 10 to 23, 2025.

According to the WAFU B Secretariat, the adjustment was necessary to allow for better coordination following disruptions to the U20 competitions in both WAFU A and B zones.

“The new period has been selected to ensure the smooth running of the competition,” a statement from the Ghana FA reads, “and to provide the best possible experience for all seven of our Member Associations.”

The participating countries include Nigeria, Ghana (hosts), Côte d’Ivoire, Niger, Burkina Faso, Togo, and Benin.

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Nigeria's Flying Eagles and continental challenges 

The Flying Eagles, coached by Aliyu Zubairu, head into the tournament as defending champions. Nigeria defeated arch-rivals Ghana 2-1 in the final of the last edition held in Togo, lifting their first WAFU B U20 title after finishing runners-up in 2018.

Victory in Togo paved the way for Nigeria’s qualification for the 2025 U20 Africa Cup of Nations, where they secured a third-place finish with a fine win over Egypt.

Significantly, the Nigeria U20 national team ended Senegal’s reign as African champions at that tournament, eliminating them in the quarter-finals via a dramatic penalty shoot-out.

That performance also sealed their ticket to the 2025 FIFA U20 World Cup in Chile, scheduled for later in the year.

Now, with the countdown to Accra 2025 officially underway, Nigeria will be aiming to retain their regional crown and fine-tune their squad ahead of the global challenge in Chile.