Nigeria’s Golden Eaglets departed the country early on Thursday for FIFA U17 World Cup host country Brazil where they’ll conclude final preparations ahead of the tournament which kicks off later this month.
With the tournament not starting until 26 October, the Golden Eaglets are scheduled to play a number of preparatory games before head coach Manu Garba decides on the final 21-man roster to pursue a record-extending sixth title for Nigeria.
Nigeria’s U17 wards who last month participated in the UEFA/CAF U17 invitational in Turkey, will play preparatory games against fellow World Cup teams South Korea and Japan before rounding off their warmup games against an unnamed Sao Paulo based Brazilian team.
Nigeria is making a return to a tournament they’ve won a record five times after missing out on the 2017 edition in India which was won by England.
The Golden Eaglets won the inaugural edition of the tournament in China in 1986 when it was still
Their last triumph came in Chile in 2015 where a team boasting tournament record top goalscorer Victor Osimhen and Samuel Chukwueze beat Mali in the final.
Nigeria have been paired with Hungary, Ecuador and Australia in Group B. They kickstart their campaign on 26 October against Hungary.
