Golden Eaglets receive tough U-17 AFCON draw

Nigeria’s U-17 male team, the Golden Eaglets, have been drawn into Group B as the draw for the group stages of the 2023 U-17 Africa Cup of Nations was carried out. The tournament is scheduled to hold in Algeria between April 29th and May 19th. It will serve as a qualifier for the U-17 FIFA World Cup, a competition where Nigeria reigns supreme.

After an impressive showing in the WAFU Zone B Championship in June 2022 ended with them emerging as champions, the Nduka Ugbade-tutored team qualified for the group stage of the Nations Cup. They were drawn into Group B alongside Morocco, South Africa and Zambia, all teams with international pedigree.

The Golden Eaglets have won the competition on two occasions, with their most recent title coming from the 2007 squad that went on to win the World Cup. In the last edition of the tournament in 2019, FC Copenhagen winger Akinkunmi Amoo was in the squad that finished fourth in the competition.

The best four teams from the Africa Cup of Nations will qualify for the 2023 FIFA U-17 World Cup in Peru between November and December 2023.

Here is the Group stage draw in full;

Group A: Algeria, Senegal, Congo, Somalia

Group B: Nigeria, South Africa, Morocco, Zambia

Group C: Cameroon, Mali, Burkina Faso, South Sudan.