Flying Eagles head coach Aliyu Zubairu has warned that despite drawing what appears to be a more favourable group for the upcoming U20 Africa Cup of Nations AFCON, Nigeria’s preparation will be the key factor in their success not the names of their opponents.
Originally placed in a daunting “Group of Death” featuring Egypt, Morocco, and South Africa when the tournament was to be hosted by Côte d’Ivoire, Nigeria’s fortunes shifted with a new draw that placed them alongside Morocco, Tunisia, and Kenya. The competition is now set to take place in Egypt.
Speaking on the group, Zubairu dismissed the idea of easy fixtures. “It’s high time we stopped looking at some teams as bigger, while some are smaller. There are no minnows in African football anymore it all depends on your level of preparation,” he said.
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He emphasised that every country offers its own challenge and that underestimating opponents like Tunisia or Kenya could prove costly. “Which country do you want to play that is not tough?” Zubairu questioned, reiterating that Nigeria’s fate will be determined by how ready they are not by who they face.
The Flying Eagles have spent a month preparing in Katsina, including test games against Ivory Coast in Abidjan, and are set to train for an additional week in Egypt before kicking off their AFCON campaign against Tunisia.
Editorial
Coach Zubairu’s comments strike at the very heart of what often trips up even the most talented teams complacency. Time and again, we’ve seen sides with illustrious reputations fall at the hands of supposedly lesser known opposition. And in African football, where margins are razor-thin, underestimating anyone is a fast route to elimination.
Nigeria’s youth teams are no strangers to expectation. The Flying Eagles carry a legacy of success, but legacy alone doesn’t win matches. Preparation does. Attitude does. Cohesion and hunger do. That’s what Zubairu is preaching, and rightly so.
Whether it’s Tunisia or Morocco, the only real variable is Nigeria’s own readiness. Are they tactically sharp? Are they physically fit? Are they mentally prepared to fight every inch of the pitch like it’s a final? Because that’s what the AFCON demands.
It’s also refreshing to see a coach refuse to buy into media-created narratives about easy groups. There are no easy groups. Only matches where one team turns up more prepared than the other. And if the Flying Eagles truly want to soar, they’ll need to do more than rely on talent they’ll need to earn every goal, every point, and every victory.
Did You Know?
- The Flying Eagles have won the U20 AFCON a record seven times, more than any other nation.
- Tunisia last qualified for the U20 AFCON in 2021, where they finished fourth.
- Kenya has yet to win a match at the U20 AFCON in its history.
- Morocco hosted and won the inaugural edition of the U20 AFCON in 1979.
- The 2025 U20 AFCON serves as a qualifier for the FIFA U20 World Cup, with the top four teams earning tickets to the global event.
