Nigeria’s Flying Eagles captain, Daniel Bameyi, has assured supporters that the team is fully prepared to represent the country with pride at the upcoming FIFA U-20 World Cup in Chile, Bold Sports reports.
The tournament, scheduled to run from September 27 to October 19, 2025, will see the seven-time African champions kick off their campaign against Saudi Arabia on September 29 before facing Norway on October 1 and wrapping up the group stage against Colombia on October 4.
“We are fully prepared, we’ve been training and this is the right time for us to show what we’ve been working for,” Bameyi told Victor Ademola ahead of the opening fixture.
The Flying Eagles are returning to the global stage for a record 14th appearance by an African nation at the U-20 World Cup. Their best outings remain two runners-up finishes, while their most recent run ended in the quarterfinals of the 2023 edition, where they were narrowly beaten 1-0 by South Korea.
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“So many lessons were learnt from the last World Cup. We lost at the quarter final one goal to nil. It was against South Korea,” Bameyi recalled. “We had the opportunity to bury that game but unfortunately we didn’t take our chances. That was something that cost us that match.”
Since then, the team has gained more competitive experience, winning bronze at the TotalEnergies U-20 AFCON in Egypt earlier this year before claiming silver at the 2025 WAFU B U20 Boys tournament. Bameyi believes the squad has grown stronger from those campaigns.
“This team is an improved one. From the WAFU to the AFCON, now we’re at the World Cup. All lessons were learnt and we will try to improve on that,” he said.
With expectations high, the captain delivered a message of unity and hope to Nigerians: “We know how difficult the World Cup is. No country is small and it’s football, anything can happen. We are asking that you keep praying for us, and keep supporting us, and we will give our best to make the country proud.”
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