The Nigeria U-17 national team is set to make their tenth appearance at the Africa Cup of Nations(AFCON) which is set to be hosted by Algeria from 29 April – 19 May 2023.
Nigeria has won the U-17 AFCON twice, in 2001 and 2007, and will be hoping to win the title for the first time in a long time.
The Young Eaglets booked a place in the tournament after beating Ivory Coast 3-1 in the semi-final of the WAFU B tournament, before defeating Burkina Faso 2-1 in the final.
They will kick start their AFCON campaign on 30th April against Zambia in group B where they were placed together with Morocco and South Africa.
“We will fight,” warns Nigerian coach
Meanwhile, the team’s head coach Nduka Ugbade described the group as a tough and interesting one.
“It’s quite interesting, we have always been waiting for this moment,” he said, as quoted by Caf Online . “We will face every team as they come one after the other. We are not talking winning the AFCON, we are talking and planning about winning each match one after the other.”
The 53-year-old former Nigerian defender sounded a warning that his team will fight till the end of the tournament.
“We will fight, that’s most probably the toughest group. I have an idea of West, South, North, and East African football. These are great nations.
“We have respect and a little fear knowing that we can lose. So with that we have to prepare so it doesn’t come to pass losing,” concluded Nduka.
The top four teams at the tournament will earn automatic qualification for the 2023 FIFA U-17 World Cup.
The new host of the U-17 World Cup, which was supposed to be held in Peru from November 10 to December 2, 2023, will be announced later.
