Nigeria’s U20 men’s football team, the Flying Eagles, will kick off their training sessions on Wednesday in Santiago, Chile, as preparations intensify for the 2025 FIFA U20 World Cup.
The squad arrived in the Chilean capital on Tuesday after leaving Nigeria on Sunday night. On arrival, the players were given time to rest and recover from the long journey and time zone adjustment.
According to the team’s schedule, double training sessions will hold daily at 7:30 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. (local time).
Drawn in Group F, the Flying Eagles will begin their campaign against Norway on September 29. They will later face Saudi Arabia on October 3 before taking on Colombia on October 6.
Head coach Aliyu Zubairu, who recently steered Nigeria to a third-place finish at the 2025 CAF U20 Africa Cup of Nations in Egypt, leads the team. He has expressed his ambition to surpass Nigeria’s best past performances at the U20 World Cup, where the nation finished as runners-up in 1989 and 2005.
As part of their build-up, the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) has arranged two friendly matches for the team — against host nation Chile and Australia — during their 12-day training camp.
The 24th edition of the FIFA U20 World Cup will run in Chile from September 27 to October 19.