Exclusive: Hope Rises For Nigeria As CAF Considers Flying Eagles For U-20 AFCON

Exclusive: Hope Rises For Nigeria As CAF Considers Flying Eagles For U-20 AFCON

By Niyi Busari 

Hope is rising for Nigeria’s Flying Eagles to feature at the next CAF U-20 Africa Cup of Nations after WAFU B formally appealed to the Confederation of African Football (CAF) to consider granting the country an additional slot, BSNSports.com.ng reports.

The West African Football Union (WAFU) B has written to CAF to make a case for the inclusion of Nigeria’s U-20 national team in the next edition of the continental tournament.

The move followed a decision reached by the four semi-finalists at the recently concluded WAFU B U-20 Championship before the semi-final matches. The four countries involved were Côte d’Ivoire, Burkina Faso, Nigeria and Niger Republic.

In its submission to CAF, WAFU B reportedly referenced the precedent set during the 2025 U-20 Africa Cup of Nations in Egypt, when Tunisia was included in the tournament after changes to the hosting arrangement.

Tunisia had initially finished third in the UNAF regional qualifiers behind Egypt and Morocco. However, following Côte d’Ivoire’s withdrawal as the original host and Egypt subsequently taking over hosting duties, Tunisia was selected to participate in the tournament.

As a result, 13 teams competed at the 2025 U-20 Africa Cup of Nations in Egypt.

The participating teams were:

Group A

Egypt

Sierra Leone

South Africa

Tanzania

Zambia

Group B

Kenya

Morocco

Nigeria

Tunisia

Group C

Central African Republic

DR Congo

Ghana

Senegal

WAFU B is now seeking a similar consideration for Nigeria, with Ghana set to host the next edition of the U-20 Africa Cup of Nations.

The regional body is asking CAF to consider awarding WAFU B an additional qualification slot, which would allow Nigeria to join the other representatives from the zone and bring the region’s total number of participating teams to three.

CAF is expected to review the request before making a final decision on Nigeria’s participation.

For the Flying Eagles, a favourable decision would provide a major boost after their campaign in the WAFU B U-20 Championship and keep their hopes of competing on the continental stage alive.