Tanzania head coach, Miguel Gamond has revealed his team's strategy for their opening match against Nigeria's Super Eagles at the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations, Nigeriasoccernet.com reports.

Speaking at a pre-match press conference, Gamond emphasized that Tanzania will adopt an attacking mindset against the three-time champions.

"We are excited to participate in this AFCON, we are ready for tomorrow's game against Nigeria," Gamond said.

"It will be a very difficult, tough game but it's a very nice challenge for us. We need to work and try to neutralize Nigeria, but our mentality is to play, try to get the ball and attack as well."

By Olujimi Dare Ogun 

The Nigerian side lost 0-2 to the Ghanaians in the semi-final match played at the Stade Konan Banny.

Michael Awuli scored for Ghana after 23 minutes, before Robinho Yao Gavi doubled the lead on 31 minutes.

With this result, Ghana has booked a slot in the final and qualification for the 2026 AFCON U17 tournament.

Ghana plays Cote d'Ivoire, which eliminated Burkina-Faso, the defending champions, in the first semi-final match.

Uche Dozie

The Golden Eaglets and Baby Stallions of Burkina Faso settled for a goalless draw in their last game in group B, played at Stade Lycee Scientifique on Saturday evening. NigeriaSoccernet.com reports.

Nigeria piled pressure on the Burkinabes from the first blast of the referee’s whistle, but their opponents were very resolute in the defence, while depending on occasional counter-attacks, which were equally thwarted by the Eaglets, leading to the game remaining scoreless at the end of 90 minutes.

Nigeria's Boluwatife Thompson, who tormented the defence of Burkina Faso with his dribbling runs and high football intelligence was awarded the Man -of- the- Match.

With this result, the Eaglets will file out against the Black Starlets of Ghana in the second semi-final of the tournament slated for Stade Charles Konan Banny on Tuesday, starting 8pm Nigeria time.

Credit: NFF

The Eaglets head into the encounter on Saturday following an emphatic win over Benin Republic a couple days ago and Coach Garba is upbeat of a win.

Garba says the multiple time winners  are here to win as it should be.

“Every team wants to win every match, and so does Nigeria. If we win every game, we’ll be champions again — because that’s where we belong.”, he said

The Golden Eaglets  face the Baby Stallions of Burkina Faso on Saturday at 4pm at the Stade Lycee Scientifique, Yamoussoukro in the ongoing WAFU B U17 Championship in Yamoussoukro, Côte d'Ivoire.

Uche Dozie

Golden Eaglets head coach Manu Garba believes his team will continue to improve when they face Burkina Faso in their next match at the 2025 WAFU B U-17 Championship, Nigeriasoccernet.com reports.

The Eaglets secured a place in the semi-finals with a convincing 4-1 win over Benin Republic on Wednesday.

Garba's side will look to top Group B when they take on Burkina Faso on Saturday in Yamoussoukro.

The top two teams in the competition will earn a spot in the 2026 Africa U-17 Cup of Nations, which will determine Africa's representatives at the 2026 FIFA U-17 World Cup in Qatar.

"We will see a better Nigerian team as the tournament progresses,” Garba said via Dailypost.

“The team was only assembled about a month ago and this was only their first international match.”

The Golden Eaglets will aim to build on their impressive win over Benin Republic as they seek to make a strong impression in the tournament.

By Olujimi Dare Ogun

The U17 Boys National Team, Golden Eaglets, will on Wednesday depart the country for the city of Yamoussoukro, Cote d’Ivoire where they will participate in this year’s WAFU-B U17 Boys Tournament, Nigeriasoccernet.com reports.

In their final friendly game before the tournament, the Eaglets drew 0-0 with Mop Stars FC on Monday. The team played a total of 13 friendly matches while in camp, winning 10, drawing two and losing only one. They scored 25 goals and conceded five.

The five-time world champions will begin their campaign in the tournament against Baby Cheetahs of Benin Republic on Wednesday, 24th September, before taking on Burkina Faso in Group B. Group A has hosts Cote d’Ivoire, Niger Republic, Ghana and Togo.

Matches will be played at the Stade du Lycée Scientifique in Yamoussoukro, which has a natural turf and was constructed for the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations.

GOLDEN EAGLES FOR WAFU-B U17 BOYS TOURNAMENT

Goalkeepers: Aquila Ahur (Mailantarki FC); Great Edafe (Beyond Limits); Paul Awelewa (Morak FC)

Defenders: Abdullateef Lasisi (La Planet); Mubarak Rasheed (RFO FC); Sadiq Salihu (Niger Tornadoes); Godwin Menyaga (Adoration FC); Abdulsamad Salisu (Central FC); Emmanuel Asika (Mailantarki FC)

Midfielders: Paul Ugwu (RBM FC); Famous Umole (Derby FC); David Edeh (Adoration FC); Umar Yahaya (Footwork FC); Ahmed Yusuf (One-Touch FC)

Forwards: Wisdom Innocent (Wonderland FC); George Agha (Unique & Fine FC); Boluwatife Thompson (Breeders FC); Emeka Nnalue (Collins FC); Salim Umar (Dante FC); Auwal Muhammad (36 Lions)

Credit: NFF 

https://twitter.com/EzemaGabriel_/status/1955890004082688362?t=q123jCc1bSpVZ9KSVi8hUg&s=19

The news comes as the team prepares for the WAFU B U17 tournament slated for September in Nigeria.

He will work alongside the head coach, Manu Garba, a renowned figure in Nigerian football.

Coach Gabriel previously coached NNL side Inter Lagos FC and Solution FC.

Uche Dozie

Nigeria’s U17 team, the Golden Eaglets, is intensifying preparations for next month’s WAFU-B U17 Tournament, with head coach Manu Garba and his technical crew working diligently to build a squad capable of making the nation proud, Nigeriasoccernet.com reports.

As part of their buildup, the five-time world champions delivered an emphatic 5-0 victory over Winsome FC in a friendly match on Wednesday at the FIFA Goal Project, MKO Abiola National Stadium.

The Eaglets were two goals better going into the break, and the team got more clinical in the second half, scoring three more goals to end the game 5-0. Winsome FC is from Oporoza Island, Warri South West, Delta State.

It was the fourth friendly game by the Eaglets, who are in camp preparing for the WAFU-B U17 Boys Tournament taking place next month.

In earlier games, they had beaten Espora Football Academy of Abuja 4-0, pipped GASA of Ilorin by a lone goal, and came from behind to defeat Bandex Football Academy of Kebbi 3-2.

Nigeria will host the WAFU B U-17 Championship, which is scheduled to take place in Remo, Ikenne, and the newly refurbished MKO Abiola Stadium next month.

By Oluwadamilola Olaleye 

Nigeria’s Golden Eaglets kept their winning run alive on Friday with a hard-fought 3-2 victory over Bandex Football Academy of Kebbi State in a test match as preparations intensify for the WAFU B U-17 Championship in Abeokuta this September, reports Nigeriasoccernet.com.

The five-time world champions trailed 2-1 at halftime but rallied in the second half with improved composure and attacking urgency to seal the comeback win.

It was the team’s third consecutive triumph in their build-up series, following a 4-0 rout of Explora FC and a 1-0 win over GASA of Ilorin on Wednesday. Head coach Manu Garba’s side will be aiming to carry this momentum into the regional tournament, where securing the title will guarantee a spot at next year’s Africa U-17 Cup of Nations.

The Golden Eaglets will contest for the bronze medals of the male football event of the ongoing 22nd National Sports Festival, after they lost 1-2 to Team Ogun in the second semi finals of the event in Ikenne-Remo on Sunday, Nigeriasoccernet.com reports.

In the first semi final, Team Kwara defeated Team Kaduna by a lone goal to qualify for the final of the male football event, which will be held on Tuesday at the MKO Abiola Sports Complex.

In the female event, Nigeria’s U17 boys, Flamingos flew their way into the final after a hard-fought 1-0 victory over Team Ogun. Shakirat Moshood made no mistake from six yards after the 2022 FIFA World Cup bronze medalists were awarded a penalty with minutes left in the encounter.

They will now face Team Delta in Tuesday’s grand finale after the latter dismissed Team Osun 4-1 in the first semi final.

The third-place matches will take place at the Remo Stars Stadium, while the final of the male and female events will hold at the MKO Abiola Sports Complex in Abeokuta.

The Golden Eaglets and Flamingos are participating in the 22nd National Sports Festival as part of the praiseworthy Invited Junior Athletes (IJA) initiative of the National Sports Commission.

Credit: NFF

The Confederation of African Football (CAF) has officially expanded the number of participating teams in the 2025 U-17 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) from 12 to 16, reports Nigeriasoccernet.com.

This decision was approved by CAF’s Executive Committee on Monday and marks a significant shift in the tournament format ahead of the competition, which will take place in Morocco from March 30 to April 19, 2025.

The move comes after FIFA increased Africa’s slots at the U-17 World Cup from five to ten, a decision that initially did not reflect in CAF’s qualification structure. Many football analysts had criticized CAF’s reluctance to follow FIFA’s expansion with a similar increase in AFCON slots. However, with the latest adjustment, more teams will now have a chance to compete on the continental stage and qualify for the global tournament.

Impact on Nigeria’s Qualification Hopes

With the increase to 16 teams, Nigeria’s Golden Eaglets—five-time world champions—can now remain hopeful of securing a spot in the tournament. The team missed out on an automatic qualification after finishing third in the 2024 WAFU B Championship, where only the top two teams earned direct qualification.

So far, ten teams have already secured their places in the 2025 U-17 AFCON:

North Africa: Egypt, Morocco

West Africa: Mali, Senegal, Burkina Faso, Ivory Coast

East Africa: Tanzania, Uganda

Southern Africa: Angola, Zambia

With six additional slots now available, Nigeria will have another opportunity to qualify and compete for a spot in the 2025 FIFA U-17 World Cup, set to be held in Qatar.

All eight quarter-finalists at the U-17 AFCON will automatically qualify for the World Cup, making this tournament even more crucial for Nigeria’s young talents. The Golden Eaglets, historically one of Africa’s most successful youth teams, will be keen to take advantage of this opportunity and return to the global stage.

Oluwayemi Omolagba

https://twitter.com/thenff/status/1795518233992401295?t=FWPW0305trZ0rvTO0VG91A&s=19

The Golden Eaglets edged the black starlet 3-2 to get the bronze medal and a place in the U-17 African Cup of Nations to be held in Cote D'Ivoire in 2025.

With Cote d’Ivoire as hosts and guaranteed a slot, Burkina Faso (no matter the result of the final match) and the third-place winner in the earlier game of the final day, were assured of berths in Abidjan.

Imrana Muhammad put Nigeria in front  in the 9th minute after shooting the ball into the net following a goalmouth scramble.

The hosts responded 10 minutes later after a Nigerian defender put the ball into his own net.

Harve Gbafa put Ghana in the lead with a sumptuous flick after 27 minute of the game before Abdulmuiz Adeleke scored the equaliser from a pull-out by John Ogwuche four minutes before half-time.

The two sides pushed for the winner, but it seemed the tie was heading for spot kicks before Adeleke scored hia second of the game at the struck of the match to give Nigeria the victory over their West African rivals.

By Uche Dozie

The Secretary General of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF), Mohammed Sanusi, has expressed confidence in the Golden Eaglets' chances of defeating Ghana, Nigeriasoccernet.com reports.

Manu Garba’s team is set to face the hosts in the third-place match at the WAFU B U-17 Championship on Tuesday. The Golden Eaglets, who are five-time world champions, will look to bounce back after a 1-0 defeat to Cote d’Ivoire on Saturday.

Sanusi remains optimistic about Nigeria's prospects, stating, “The Black Starlets will not be an easy ride. They are the home side and they will bank on the support of the fans. But our boys have what it takes to achieve victory.” he told thenff.com.

The match scheduled to kick off for 4 pm Nigeria time at the University of Accra Stadium, will see Ghana be without their coach Laryea Kingston who resigned from his position following his team’s defeat to Burkina Faso in the semi-final.

By Olujimi Dare Ogun

Global youth football powers Nigeria and Ghana will on Tuesday battle it out for the bronze medals of the ongong WAFU B U17 Championship in Accra, Ghana, Nigeriasoccernet.com reports.

Given their pedigree at this level, both nations should have been preparing to test strength and savvy for who deserved the trophy, in the final match of the competition.

However, the Eaglets were downed by Cote d’Ivoire’s Baby Elephants while the Starlets were plucked by the Baby Etalons of Burkina Faso in the semi-finals.

With the West African Football Union still unable to provide clarity on the number of teams that will proceed to the 2025 Africa U17 Cup of Nations from WAFU B, General Secretary of Nigeria Football Federation, Dr. Mohammed Sanusi has charged the Eaglets to go all out and execute the third-place encounter like a final match.

“We are still awaiting clarity on the number of teams that will qualify to the U17 AFCON from this tournament. Some people have said only three teams; some said four teams. It is therefore important that our boys go out there and play their hearts out to finish in third place.

“The Black Starlets will not be an easy ride. They are the home side and they will bank on the support of the fans. But our boys have what it takes to achieve victory.”

The third-place match will kick off at 3pm Ghana time (4pm Nigeria time) at the University of Accra Stadium, ahead of the final match between Burkina Faso and Cote d’Ivoire, which commences at 6pm Ghana time (7pm Nigeria time).

By Olaleye Oluwadamilola 

The head of the Ghanaian U-17 football team, Laryea Kingston has walked away from his responsibilities after his side’s disappointing defeat at the WAFU B U-17 championship, Nigeriasoccernet.com reports.

The Black Starlets on Saturday evening lost to Burkina Faso 2-1 in the semi-final encounter, thereby debarring the host the chances of playing at the African U-17 championship.

The Ghana Football Association (GFA) acknowledged Kingston’s decision in a statement on Sunday, noting his resignation with one game still left to play.

The GFA also accused Kingston of using inappropriate language and going AWOL by not attending the post-match team meeting with management and the technical team.

Ghana will face eternal rivals Nigeria in the third-place match on Tuesday.

The two West African champions will not be featuring at the 2024 FIFA U-17 World Cup following their failure to get the the final of the WAFU championship.

By Olujimi Dare Ogun

The Golden Eaglets of Nigeria, were ousted from the WAFU B U-17 Championship after a 1-0 defeat to Cote d’Ivoire in their semi-final clash, Nigeriasoccernet.com reports.

The game rescheduled from 7pm to 9pm on Saturday brought the end to a possible successful defense of the the title won in Accra, Ghana two years ago.

Youbah Coulibaly netted the decisive goal for the Baby Elephants in the 54th minute, leaving the Eaglets unable to find an equaliser.

The result means that the Golden Eaglets have failed to qualify for next year’s Africa U17 Cup of Nations, where Africa’s flag-bearers at next year’s FIFA U17 World Cup finals will emerge. They will now face hosts Ghana in the third-place play-off on Tuesday.

Meanwhile, Cote d’Ivoire will meet Burkina Faso in the competition's final on the same day.

 By Olujimi Dare Ogun

Five-time world champions Nigeria and three-time world champions Ghana were eliminated from the WAFU B U17 Championship at the semi-final stage on Saturday, with Burkina Faso getting the better of the host nation and the Baby Elephants of Cote d’Ivoire narrowly sending the Eaglets packing, Nigeriasoccernet.com reports.

Burkina Faso was the first team in the final after a 2-1 defeat of the Black Starlets.

In the second semi-final, rampaging Cote d’Ivoire scored through Youbah Coulibaly off a defensive mix-up by Nigeria in the 54th minute and that strike separated both teams at the University of Accra Stadium.

It was a tough battle for the Eaglets as the Baby Elephants showed greater composure and hunger for the final ticket, and goalkeeper Dominic Chinedu came to the Eaglets’ rescue on several occasions.

The result means that the Golden Eaglets have failed to qualify for next year’s Africa U17 Cup of Nations, where Africa’s flag-bearers at next year’s FIFA U17 World Cup finals will emerge.

By Olaleye Oluwadamilola 

The Nigeria Football Federation has announced a revised kick-off time for the WAFU B U -17 semi-final match between Nigeria’s Golden Eaglets and Côte d'Ivoire, Nigeriasoccernet.com reports.

The NFF via it X handle revealed that the has been moved by two hours

“The Golden Eaglets clash with Ivory Coast has been moved by two hours.

“It will now hold on 25 May at the University Stadium in Accra by 9 pm Nigerian time,” NFF revealed.

Additionally, the kick-off time for the first semi-final between hosts Ghana and Burkina Faso has also been changed. This game will now start at 6pm, an hour later than the initially planned 5pm.

Nigeria's Golden Eaglets secured their semi-final spot with a decisive 3-0 victory over Togo on Thursday, finishing top of Group B with seven points from three games.

By Olujimi Dare Ogun

Golden Eaglets head coach Manu Garba has aired his concerned the number of wasted opportunity by his boy in their 3-0 victory against Togo at the WAFU B U-17 Championship on Thursday, Nigeriasoccernet.com reports.

The defending champions advanced to the semi-finals, dominating the Junior Hawks with a solid display with Abdulmuiz Adeleke netting twice, while Rapha Adams adding another to seal the win.

Although the coach applauded the young lads for their performance but Manu was quick to also made know his reservation from the game.

“It was a good game for us, not just because we scored three goals, but it was our best performance so far,” Garba remarked post-match. “We could have scored even more as we controlled the game from start to finish.”

The Golden Eaglets are set to face Côte d'Ivoire in the semi-final on Saturday. The winner will secure a spot in next year’s Africa U-17 Cup of Nations.

By Olujimi Dare Ogun

A brace by Abdulmuiz Adeleke and a goal by Rapha Adams in both halves ensured victory for the Manu Garba tutored.

The game which should have been played on Wednesday was moved to Thursday due to the waterlogged Pitch at the University Stadium Rugby Stadium Pitch.

Adeleke opened score for Nigeria on 11 minute from an assist by Abdulmuiz Oladimeji before Adams doubled the lead 10 minutes before the end of the first 45 minute with an header assisted by Simom Cletus.

Adeleke put the icing on the cake 12 minutes into the start of the second half  courtesy of another assist by Cletus giving the West Africans a smooth passage to the last 4 of the tournament.

Though Adeleke could have gotten a hattrick but his penalty was not  converted on 68 minute.

The Golden Eaglets progressed to the next round after 2 wins against Niger Republic and Togo and a draw against Burkina Faso in the first match.

Nigeria finish top of their group and will face Côte d’Ivoire  in the semi finals while Host Ghana will play Burkina Faso in the other Semi final.

The two finalists will qualify for the U17 African Cup of Nations.

Meanwhile, Edward Ochigbo wins the player of the match as the Golden Eaglets defeat Togo to finish Top of their WAF B U-17 group stage table.

Uche Dozie