U17 AFCON: Ugbade Reveals Golden Eaglets Training Plans

U17 AFCON: Ugbade Reveals Golden Eaglets Training Plans

Nigeria’s U17 national team coach, Nduka Ugbade has disclosed that the Golden Eaglets will soon open their training camp in Abuja ahead of the CAF U-17 Africa Cup of Nations in Algeria.

According to The Sun, the captain of the cadet U-16 Golden Eaglets that won the inaugural edition of the youth tournament hosted by China in 1985 spoke with Brila FM, Lagos on the challenges facing the team.

“The U-20 team have started their training camp because theirs (CAF U-20 AFCON) is coming first. Ours (U-17) is in April,” Ugbade said during the interview in Lagos.

“We are starting camping soon. The only problem is that when there are no funds, things slow down but in a week or two (weeks), things will fall in place,” Ugbade added.

The Eaglets who are hoping to qualify for the FIFA U17 World Cup are five-time champions of the world.

The semifinalists in the Africa Cup of Nations for the U17s will represent Africa at the tournament.

Four nations will also qualify for the U-20 World Cup. Nigeria’s U-17 and U-20 sides won the West African Football Union B (WAFU B) tournaments to qualify for the continental tournaments.

The FIFA U-17 World Cup returns after four years due to the COVID-19 pandemic forced FIFA to cancel the tournament in 2021.

The 2023 FIFA U-17 World Cup will be the 19th edition of the FIFA U-17 World Cup, the biennial international men's youth football championship contested by the under-17 national teams of the member associations of FIFA. It will be held in Peru from 10 November to 2 December 2023.

Brazil are the defending champions, having won in 2019.