Nigeria’s Flying Eagles Commence Final Preparations in Chile for FIFA U-20 World Cup Campaign

Nigeria’s national under-20 football team, the Flying Eagles, have touched down in the Chilean city of Talca to finalise their preparations for the upcoming FIFA U-20 World Cup. The squad arrived on Thursday afternoon and were received by tournament officials before holding their first training session.

The team is lodged at the Hotel Diego de Almagro in Talca, where they will play all their Group F matches. Their campaign begins with a fixture against Norway on September 29, followed by encounters with Saudi Arabia on October 2 and Colombia on October 5.

Head coach Ali Zubair has expressed confidence that the errors which led to a semi-final defeat at the Africa U-20 Cup of Nations have been addressed. The team’s readiness was tested during a 12-day training camp in Santiago, which included a 1-1 draw with host nation Chile and a 3-1 victory over Australia in friendly matches.

This tournament marks a return to Chile for Nigerian football, where the Flying Eagles experienced a disappointing group-stage exit in the 1987 edition. The current squad aims to surpass Nigeria’s best previous performances in the competition, having finished as runners-up in 1989 and 2005. The 2025 tournament runs from September 27 to October 19.