Nigeria’s Future Eagles reached Baku on Thursday afternoon for the first FIFA U-15 World Cup & Festival, with South Sudan awaiting them in Saturday’s opening fixture.
A party of 14 players and six staff members travelled from Abuja on Wednesday night. Head coach Patrick Bassey and team administrator Nasiru Jibril were among the delegation, which flew via Istanbul on Turkish Airlines before arriving in Azerbaijan’s capital.
Quick facts
- Nigeria have been placed in Group AD with South Sudan, Jordan, The Gambia, Cyprus and Pakistan.
- The Future Eagles play South Sudan on Saturday, Jordan and The Gambia on Sunday, and Cyprus and Pakistan on Monday.
- Group results determine entry into one of six second-stage tiers on 28 and 29 October.
- Tier finals are set for Friday, 30 October, with the Tier A champions taking the overall title.
There will be no elimination bracket at the tournament, ensuring every side remains active until the final day. Three Nigerian group rivals — South Sudan, Cyprus and Pakistan — are among 78 of the 189 participating member associations yet to feature at any men’s or women’s FIFA World Cup, at any age category.
Nigeria have previous FIFA World Cup experience and are not included among those first-time World Cup participants. The competition features 189 of the 211 associations invited by FIFA.
Games will be played with eight players per team, using two 20-minute periods on reduced-size fields. Teams can make rolling changes, while restarts from the touchline will be taken as kick-ins.
The boys’ event is restricted to players born in 2011 or 2012. FIFA’s Head of Youth Tournaments, Roberto Grassi, called it “a global community united around football for all,” noting that many youngsters will make their first overseas trip while representing their country.
Grassi said the World Cup/Festival title was selected because the competitors are not professional footballers. All participating teams will stay together in a single Athletes’ Village during the event.
The Hovsan Competition Complex will host the majority of matches, while Baku Crystal Hall is scheduled to stage both the opening ceremony and the finals. Players will also join learning programmes and have opportunities to meet FIFA Legends.
A girls’ version of the tournament is due to take place in 2027. Annual competitions for both boys and girls are planned from 2028 onward.
Nigeria’s goalkeepers are Victor Wisdom of Eagles Wings Academy in Abuja and Peter Linus of HB Academy, Abuja.
The defenders are Daniel Olaomi of Eagles Wings Academy, Prosperity Anionovo of Buruj Football Academy in Lagos, Timothy Ijachi of Mavlon FC in Lagos, David Okwusogu of NFF TDS and Michael Ibironke of NFF TDS.
The midfield group consists of Abdulsalam Muhammad of Simonben Academy in Kaduna, Martin Chukwu of AS Roma Academy in Abuja, Ayomide Jekami of NFF TDS and Mayowa Salu of NFF TDS.
Abdulrazak Mufutau of 12Alive FC in Ibadan, Wisdom Oche of Shakhandam Academy in Abuja and Wisdom Boniface of Adoration Academy in Enugu make up the forward line.
The 78 participating associations without a previous FIFA World Cup appearance at any men’s or women’s level are Afghanistan, Albania, American Samoa, Andorra, Anguilla, Antigua and Barbuda, Aruba, Bahamas, Bangladesh, Barbados, Belarus, Belize, Bermuda, Bhutan, Botswana, British Virgin Islands, Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, Cayman Islands, Central African Republic, Chad, Comoros, Cook Islands, Cyprus, Djibouti, Dominica, Estonia, Eswatini, Gabon, Georgia, Gibraltar, Grenada, Guam, Guinea-Bissau, Guyana, Hong Kong (China), Kosovo, Kyrgyz Republic, Laos, Latvia, Lebanon, Lesotho, Liberia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Macau (China), Madagascar, Maldives, Malta, Mauritania, Mauritius, Moldova, Mongolia, Montenegro, Montserrat, Mozambique, Namibia, Nepal, Nicaragua, North Macedonia, Pakistan, Palestine, Seychelles, Singapore, Somalia, South Sudan, Sri Lanka, St Kitts and Nevis, St Lucia, St Vincent and the Grenadines, Suriname, São Tomé and Príncipe, Timor-Leste, Tonga, Turkmenistan, Turks and Caicos Islands, US Virgin Islands and Zimbabwe.
