Nigeria’s Flying Eagles have arrived in Santiago, Chile, ahead of their Round of 16 clash with tournament favourites Argentina at the 2025 FIFA U20 World Cup.
The Nigerian team landed in Chile’s capital on Tuesday afternoon after completing their group stage campaign in Talca, where they secured qualification as one of the best third-placed teams.
Aliyu Zubairu’s side showed great determination in Group F, bouncing back from a narrow 1–0 defeat to Norway with a thrilling 3–2 win over Saudi Arabia, before a hard-fought 1–1 draw with Colombia sealed their place in the knockout stage.
Their next challenge is a tough one — facing Argentina, who dominated Group D with victories over Cuba (3–1), Australia (4–1) and Italy (1–0). The highly anticipated match will take place on Wednesday at the Estadio Nacional Julio Martínez Prádanos in Santiago.
This fixture brings back memories of the 2023 Round of 16 meeting between both nations, when the Flying Eagles stunned Argentina 2–0 in San Juan, with goals from Ibrahim Beji Muhammad and Rilwanu Sarki under then coach Ladan Bosso.
Whether history can repeat itself remains to be seen, but head coach Aliyu Zubairu is confident his team is ready for the challenge.
“Every game is a new challenge. We’ll approach this one with focus, discipline, and teamwork,” Zubairu said. “We respect Argentina, but we believe in our ability to compete and win.”
The seven-time African champions will hold their final training session at the match venue on Tuesday evening, ahead of Wednesday’s clash.
Italian referee Maurizio Mariani will take charge of the encounter, which promises to be one of the tournament’s most exciting games.
For Nigeria, it’s another chance to show their strength against world-class opposition. For Argentina, it’s a shot at revenge on home soil.