President of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF), Ibrahim Gusau, has outlined a series of measures the federation is set to implement to address the recent decline in the performance of the country’s junior national teams.
Gusau expressed deep concern over Nigeria’s disappointing results across various youth competitions in recent months.
The country’s U-20 men’s team, the Flying Eagles, failed to advance beyond the group stage of the 2025 FIFA U-20 World Cup in Chile, a tournament eventually won by Morocco.
At the ongoing FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup, the Flamingos suffered a 4-1 defeat to Canada in their opening match on Sunday.
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Similarly, Nigeria’s U-17 men’s team, the Golden Eaglets, will miss the 2026 FIFA U-17 World Cup after losing to Ghana in the semifinals of the 2025 WAFU-B Cup. This result also ruled them out of next year’s U-17 AFCON in Morocco.
Despite his concerns, Gusau assured that there is hope for the future, revealing that the federation is already putting structures in place to ensure a stronger pipeline of young talent.
“I am worried because the future of our football starts with them. However, the good news is that the NFF and FIFA have developed a talent development program for the U-15 boys and girls, which remains a top priority,” Gusau said.
“You may recall that last year, the U-15 boys were in Morocco to play some friendly matches. We are starting afresh. In the near future, it won’t be business as usual for the U-17s. Instead of calling open camps where over a thousand boys show up, selection will now begin from age 14.”
Gusau added that the NFF is committed to working closely with FIFA to institutionalize this new system.
“It’s a worrying trend because Nigeria has always been one of the best youth footballing nations in the world, not just in Africa. So we must act quickly.
“We’re collaborating with FIFA to establish a program that will eliminate open screening camps. Instead, zonal programs will identify the best players, who will then be brought to Abuja for close monitoring. Hopefully, we’ll get out of this situation soon,” he concluded.
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