Nigeria’s U-17 MNT are in Ivory Coast for the 2025 WAFU B U-17 Tournament.
This regional tournament features West African nations, and the top two teams will secure a place in the U17 AFCON.
Nigeria will be aiming to improve on their performance from the last edition of the WAFU B tournament, where they were knocked out in the semi-final by Ivory Coast.
Housed in group B, the Golden Eaglets will face the Benin Republic and Burkina Faso. Their opening match is against Benin.
The Nigerian team go into the tournament on a strong run of form. They played a total of 13 friendly matches in preparation, winning 10, drawing two, and losing only once.
Head Coach, Manu Garba has announced a 21-man squad for the tournament, a blend of promising talent selected across the country.
The squad list
Goalkeepers:
Aquila Ahur, Great Edafe, Paul Awelewa
Defenders:
Abdullateef Lasisi, Mubarak Rasheed , Sadiq Salihu , Godwin Menyaga, Abdulsamad Salisu, Emmanuel Asika
Midfielders:
Paul Ugwu, Famous Umole, David Edeh, Umar Yahaya, Ahmed Yusuf
Forwards:
Wisdom Innocent, George Agha, Boluwatife Thompson, Emeka Nnalue, Salim Umar, Auwal Muhammad
The players are fully aware of how essential this tournament is—not just as a route to the U17 AFCON, but also as a stepping stone toward the U-17 FIFA World Cup.
Nigeria, five-time U-17 World Champions, have missed out on the last two editions of the tournament.
This WAFU B campaign offers a golden opportunity to reclaim their place on the world stage.
