Nigeria’s Flying Eagles have named their final 21-man squad for the 2025 FIFA U-20 World Cup in Chile, though preparations have been disrupted by the absence of key players.
French club Stade Reims and Germany’s Hoffenheim both declined to release their Nigerian youngsters, as the competition is not on FIFA’s official calendar — allowing clubs to withhold players from international duty.
As a result, Hoffenheim duo Emmanuel Chukwu and Precious Benjamin, along with Stade Reims striker Ibrahim Hafiz, will miss the tournament despite being highly rated prospects.
Head coach Aliyu Zubairu has had to reshuffle his plans, excluding several overseas-based players while finalizing his squad. Notably, Clinton Jephta (Enyimba), Bidemi Amole, and Divine Oliseh — all of whom featured at the U-20 WAFU B qualifiers in Togo — were also left out.
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Team captain Daniel Bameyi leads the side, which includes more than 10 players who participated in recent training camps and friendly matches. New faces such as Israel Ayuma, Ebenezer Harcourt, Charles Agada, Auwal Ibrahim, Kparobo Arierhi, Tahir Maigana, and Odinaka Okoro have been drafted in.
Regular fullback Adamu Maigari misses out through a knee injury.
The Flying Eagles departed Abuja for Chile on Sunday night. Norway-based midfielder Daniel Daga is expected to link up with the team before their opening match.
Nigeria will be looking to improve on recent underwhelming performances and challenge strongly for the title. The tournament kicks off on September 27 and runs until October 20 in Chile.
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