Flying Eagles land in Talca for 2025 FIFA U20 World Cup campaign

The Flying Eagles have arrived in the Chilean city of Talca ahead of their participation in the 2025 FIFA U20 World Cup.

The team landed on Thursday afternoon and were received by officials from FIFA, the Local Organising Committee, and hotel staff.

Nigeria is drawn in Group F alongside Norway, Saudi Arabia, and Colombia, with all their group matches to be played in Talca.

Shortly after settling in, the team held its first training session in the evening to step up preparations for the tournament.

Head coach Ali Zubair said the Flying Eagles had worked on correcting errors from their Africa U20 Cup of Nations campaign earlier this year.

He expressed confidence that the squad is better set for the challenge of the World Cup.

The Flying Eagles are staying at Hotel Diego de Almagro in Talca.

Before arriving in the city, the team had completed a 12-day training camp in Santiago.

During the camp, they played two friendly matches, drawing 1-1 with hosts Chile and beating Australia 3-1 on Tuesday.

Nigeria begins its World Cup campaign against Norway on Monday, 29 September, at Estadio Fiscal de Talca.

The team will then face Saudi Arabia and Colombia in their remaining group fixtures.

Nigeria’s U20 side has a strong history in the competition, having first appeared in 1983.

The Flying Eagles have twice finished as runners-up, in 1989 to Portugal and in 2005 to Argentina, led by Lionel Messi.

They have also reached the semifinals several times and produced players who went on to become Super Eagles stars, including Mikel Obi, Taye Taiwo, Kelechi Iheanacho, and Victor Osimhen.

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