The Nigerian men's national under-20 football team represents Nigeria in men's international football also known as the Nigeria Under-20s or nicknamed the Flying Eagles. The Flying Eagles is the youth team for the national soccer in Nigeria. It plays a large role in the development of Nigerian football, and is considered the feeder team for the senior team. It is controlled by the Nigerian Football Federation. The team has won a record seven African U-20 Cup of Nations titles and are also two-times runners-up of the FIFA U-20 World Cup.
Competitive record FIFA U-20 World Cup record Africa U-20 Cup of Nations record A gold background colour indicates that Nigeria won the tournament. *Draws include knockout matches decided on penalty kicks. *There was no third place match from 1979-1989.
Team honours and achievements Intercontinental
FIFA U-20 World Cup Runners-up: 1989, 2005 Third-place: 1985 Continental
Africa U-20 Cup of Nations Winners: 1980, 1985, 1987, 1989, 2005, 2011, 2015 Runners-up: 1999, 2007 Third-place: 1979, 1981, 1995, 2009, 2013, 2023 Football at the African Games Silver medal: 2019 Sub-Continental
WAFU U-20 Silver: 2018 Quarterfinals: 2008
Staff Head Coach: Aliyu Zubairu First Assistant Coach: Usman Garba Suleiman Second Assistant Coach: Emeka Uzoma Scout: Hubert Okeke Goalkeepers' Trainer: Babajide Adegoke
Current squad The following players were named in the squad for the 2025 U-20 Africa Cup of Nations, to be played 27 April – 18 May 2025.
Former coaches Christopher Udemezue (July 1, 1982 – June 30, 1987/1988) Paul Hamilton (July 1, 1985 – June 30, 1986) Olatunde Nurudeen Disu (1987–1997) Thijs Libregts (July 1, 1998 – June 30, 1999) Samson Siasia (January 1, 2005 – March 26, 2007; June 30, 2009) Ladan Bosso (2007–2009) John Obuh (July 1, 2010 – February 1, 2013) Emmanuel Amunike (July 1, 2014 – November 1, 2017) Paul Aigbogun (January 1, 2019 – June 30, 2020) Ladan Bosso (2020 - 2024)
References Head-to-head record The following table shows Nigeria's head-to-head record in the FIFA U-20 World Cup.