Nigeria’s Flying Eagles begin the defence of their WAFU B U-20 Championship title on Monday with a clash against arch-rivals Ghana in a repeat of the 2024 final.
The opening Group B encounter will be played at the Lycée Scientifique Stadium in Yamoussoukro, Côte d’Ivoire, with kick-off scheduled for 3 p.m. Nigerian time.
The fixture immediately rekindles one of African football’s fiercest rivalries, with Nigeria aiming to make another statement against the Black Satellites after defeating them 2-1 in last year’s final.
Monday’s encounter will also mark the competitive debut of new Flying Eagles head coach Abdu Maikaba, who has replaced Aliyu Zubairu and is eager to begin his tenure with victory.
The former Flying Eagles assistant has made no secret of his ambitions heading into the tournament.
“We are going for an outright victory against Ghana because our objective is to retain the trophy and we have to start winning our matches from Day One,” Maikaba said ahead of the game.
Nigeria enter the championship as defending champions after successfully retaining the regional crown in 2024 under Zubairu.
The Flying Eagles first lifted the WAFU B title in 2022 under Isa Ladan Bosso before defending it two years later.
READMORE: Flying Eagles arrive in Côte d’Ivoire as Maikaba unveils 23-man squad for WAFU B title defence
The meeting with Ghana revives a long-standing football rivalry that stretches back more than seven decades across senior, youth and women’s football.
Their last meeting at this level came in the 2024 WAFU B final in Lomé, where Nigeria emerged 2-1 winners to retain the championship.
Victory on Monday would hand the seven-time African champions early control of Group B and strengthen their chances of reaching the semi finals.
Nigeria head into the tournament in positive spirits after defeating Athlétique Club de Zenuola 2-1 in a preparatory friendly last Thursday.
The result provided Maikaba with an encouraging platform as he fine-tunes his squad for the regional competition.
Group B schedule
Following the opening clash against Ghana, Nigeria will continue their campaign with:
- July 30: Nigeria vs Togo
- August 2: Nigeria vs Burkina Faso
Both matches will also kick off at 3 p.m. Nigerian time.
Meanwhile, hosts Côte d’Ivoire headline Group A, where they will compete alongside Benin Republic and Niger Republic.
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