Golden Eaglets jet out for China four-nation tournament ahead of U17 AFCON push

Nigeria’s Golden Eaglets will depart for China tonight to participate in the 2026 China International Youth Football Tournament as preparations intensify for the upcoming WAFU B U-17 Championship, Soccernet.ng reports.

The five-time FIFA U17 World Cup winners are among four nations invited for the tournament scheduled to be held in Yinchuan from July 5 to July 11, with hosts China, Australia, and Tanzania also set to compete.

The competition, hosted by the Chinese Football Association in collaboration with the Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region Administration of Sport and the Yinchuan Municipal People’s Government, will take place at the Yinchuan Sports Centre Helanshan Stadium.

For Nigeria, the tournament will serve as a key part of the Golden Eaglets’ build-up to the WAFU B U17 Championship, which also serves as the platform to seal qualification for the 2027 AFCON U-17 tournament.

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Golden Eaglets coach states plans for China tournament

Head coach Uwejamomere Eboboritse will lead a 20-player squad to China, alongside assistants Kalli Mohammed Kachalla and Abdullahi Isa, as the newly assembled team continues to take shape.

The former Sporting Lagos Academy youth coach had earlier described the China trip as a crucial stage in the team’s development.

“Our preparations have already started, and the China tour will be very important for this team,” Eboboritse said in quotes revealed by Sports 247.

Since resuming camp in Abuja, the Eaglets have shown promising signs in their preparatory matches.

They opened with a convincing 4-1 victory over Sporting Dreams before being held to a goalless draw by P Sports FC. They then rounded off their friendlies with an emphatic 5-0 thrashing of Unicorn FC of Kwara.

Across those three games, Nigeria scored nine goals and conceded just once.

Interestingly, the majority of the current squad were selected from the FIFA Talent Development Scheme (TDS) U15 programme held last year, underlining the Nigeria Football Federation’s growing emphasis on structured grassroots development.

However, the technical crew have confirmed that the squad remains open, with more players expected to be invited after the China tournament as competition for places intensifies.