Flying Eagles open WAFU B title defence against Ghana

Nigeria’s Flying Eagles will begin the defence of their WAFU B U-20 Championship title against arch-rivals Ghana on Monday in Yamoussoukro, Côte d’Ivoire, in a repeat of the 2024 final.

The two sides last met in the tournament final at the Stade de Kégué in Lomé, Togo, where Nigeria secured a 2-1 victory to retain the title they first won in 2022.

Monday’s encounter will also mark the first competitive match for newly appointed Flying Eagles head coach Abdu Maikaba, who has pledged to start his tenure with a victory.

“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.

The Group B fixture is scheduled to kick off at 2 p.m. local time (3 p.m. Nigeria time) at the Lycée Scientifique de Yamoussoukro.

The Flying Eagles head into the tournament with confidence after defeating Athlétique Club de Zenuola 2-1 in a pre-tournament friendly on Thursday.

Nigeria and Ghana share one of African football’s fiercest rivalries, with decades of memorable encounters across senior, youth and women’s competitions.

A win over the Black Satellites would strengthen Nigeria’s chances of reaching the semi-finals before subsequent group matches against Togo and Burkina Faso.

The Flying Eagles will face Togo on July 30 before taking on Burkina Faso on August 2, with both matches also set for the Lycée Scientifique de Yamoussoukro and scheduled to kick off at 2 p.m. local time (3 p.m. Nigeria time).

Hosts Côte d’Ivoire are drawn in Group A alongside Benin Republic and Niger Republic.