WAFU B U20: Flying Eagles Begin Title Defence Against Ghana in Yamoussoukro

Nigeria’s Flying Eagles will begin their title defence at the WAFU B U20 Championship against familiar rivals Ghana in a repeat of the 2024 final in Yamoussoukro, Côte d’Ivoire, on Monday.

Nigeria defeated the Black Satellites 2-1 in the final at Stade Kegue in Lomé, Togo, in October 2024 to retain the trophy they had won two years earlier in Niamey, Niger.

The clash will mark Abdu Maikaba’s first competitive assignment as head coach of the Flying Eagles.

The former assistant coach has made his ambitions clear ahead of the highly anticipated encounter, insisting that Nigeria are targeting an outright victory as they seek to retain the regional title.

‘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.

The match is scheduled for 2 p.m. local time in Côte d’Ivoire, 3 p.m. Nigerian time, at the Lycée Scientifique de Yamoussoukro.

The Flying Eagles go into the encounter after edging Athletique Club de Zenuola 2-1 in a friendly match on Thursday, as preparations for the tournament reached their final stage.

Monday’s encounter renews a long-standing Nigeria-Ghana football rivalry that dates back to 1951 and has produced memorable clashes across several levels of the game.

A victory would give the seven-time African champions a strong start in Group B and boost their hopes of reaching the semifinals. Nigeria will face Togo in their second group match on July 30 before concluding their group-stage campaign against Burkina Faso on August 2.

Both matches will also be played at the Lycée Scientifique de Yamoussoukro, with kick-off scheduled for 2 p.m. local time, 3 p.m. in Nigeria.

Hosts Côte d’Ivoire, Benin Republic and Niger Republic make up Group A.