The Director General of the National Sports Commission, Hon. Bukola Olopade, has charged Nigeria’s Golden Eaglets to win the WAFU-B U17 Championship in Burkina Faso.
Olopade gave the charge during a morale-boosting visit to the team’s training camp on Monday, urging the players to approach the tournament with focus, discipline and determination.
The NSC DG challenged the five-time world champions to secure qualification for the 2027 U-17 Africa Cup of Nations and ultimately book their place at the FIFA U-17 World Cup.
“You are Nigerians and we are resolute people, so go there, fight hard and win the WAFU tournament and qualify for the AFCON. At the AFCON tournament, I expect you to also go there and qualify for the World Cup,” Olopade told the players.
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Nigeria have not qualified for the FIFA U-17 World Cup since 2019, with the Golden Eaglets missing out on the last three editions of the global tournament.
The NSC DG urged the young players to remain focused on the team’s collective objective and avoid distractions around player representation during the tournament.
The Golden Eaglets will compete in Group B alongside Côte d’Ivoire and Niger at the WAFU-B U17 Championship, which is scheduled to take place from October 10 to 23, 2026, in Burkina Faso.
Nigeria will be hoping to avoid a repeat of last year’s campaign, when the Eaglets suffered a 2-0 defeat to Ghana in the semi-finals, missing out on qualification for the U-17 AFCON for a second consecutive edition.
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