Flying Eagles to know U-20 AFCON foes today

The Flying Eagles will know their group opponents for the forthcoming Africa U-20 tournament in Egypt next year, PUNCH Sports Extra reports.

The draw for the tournament which will be played between February 19 and March 11, 2023 is billed to hold on Friday (today) in Cairo, Egypt.

The qualified countries for the tournament are hosts Egypt, Tunisia, Nigeria, Benin, Senegal, The Gambia, Uganda, South Sudan, Mozambique, Zambia, Central African Republic and Congo.

The Flying Eagles currently on a two-week recess are expected to resume camp in the first week of January for the final phase of preparations ahead of the competition.

Prior to their recess, the seven-time winners of the competition recorded eight wins and a draw in the nine friendly games they played since the team opened camp on November 28.

Speaking on his Flying Eagles’ preparation for the tournament, coach Ladan Bosso remains optimistic about his team’s qualifying for the U-20 World Cup billed for Indonesia.

“We already know it’s very cold now in Egypt and here in Nigeria it’s hot, so we have to acclimatise as soon as possible,” he said.

“As soon as we meet the deadline for the submission for our final squad in January, we will be good to go.

“We first have to reach the semi-final, which will give us the ticket to the World Cup, and then we will see.”