FIFA U15 World Cup and Festival: Future Eagles Arrive in Baku, Face South Sudan in Opener

Nigeria’s U15 boys have arrived in Azerbaijan for the inaugural FIFA U15 World Cup and Festival, with South Sudan, Jordan, The Gambia, Cyprus and Pakistan awaiting them in the group stage.

Nigeria’s U15 boys, the Future Eagles, arrived in Baku, the capital of Azerbaijan, on Thursday ahead of the inaugural FIFA U15 World Cup and Festival scheduled for October 22 to 31.

The 14 players and six officials departed Abuja on Wednesday night, travelling to Istanbul aboard a Turkish Airlines flight before connecting to Baku.

The delegation includes head coach Patrick Bassey and team administrator Nasiru Jibril.

Future Eagles Begin Campaign Against South Sudan

Nigeria have been drawn in Group AD alongside South Sudan, Jordan, The Gambia, Cyprus and Pakistan.

The Future Eagles will begin their campaign against South Sudan on Saturday before facing Jordan and The Gambia on Sunday. Their final group-stage fixtures against Cyprus and Pakistan are scheduled for Monday.

The group-stage results will determine the tier in which each participating country competes during the second stage of the tournament, scheduled for October 28 and 29. The tier finals will take place on Friday, October 30.

Eight-a-Side Format for Inaugural Tournament

The inaugural competition will use an eight-a-side format, with each match consisting of two 20-minute halves.

The tournament provides an international platform for young players to gain competitive experience against their counterparts from other countries.

Full List of Future Eagles Players

Goalkeepers

• Victor Wisdom (Eagles Wings Academy, Abuja)

• Peter Linus (HB Academy, Abuja)

Defenders

• Daniel Olaomi (Eagles Wings Academy)

• Prosperity Anionovo (Buruj Football Academy, Lagos)

• Timothy Ijachi (Mavlon FC, Lagos)

• David Okwusogu (NFF TDS)

• Michael Ibironke (NFF TDS)

Midfielders

• Abdulsalam Muhammad (Simonben Academy, Kaduna)

• Martin Chukwu (AS Roma Academy, Abuja)

• Ayomide Jekami (NFF TDS)

• Mayowa Salu (NFF TDS)

Forwards

• Abdulrazak Mufutau (12Alive FC, Ibadan)

• Wisdom Oche (Shakhandam Academy, Abuja)

• Wisdom Boniface (Adoration Academy, Enugu)

The Future Eagles will look to make a positive start against South Sudan as they begin their campaign at the inaugural FIFA U15 World Cup and Festival in Baku.