Nigeria’s U20 squad, Flying Eagles will know their group phase opponents at this summer’s FIFA U20 World Cup finals in Poland after the draw ceremony to be held inside the Gdynia Sports Arena on Sunday.
The seven –time African champions have been slotted into Pot 2 of the draw, alongside African champions Mali, as well as New Zealand, Colombia, Korea Republic and Italy.
There will be six groups of four teams each at the 24 –nation championship, with the top two teams at the end of the group phase, as well as the best four third –placed teams, advancing to the Round of 16.
Hosts Poland, Portugal, Uruguay, France, USA and Mexico are in Pot 1, with Saudi Arabia, Senegal, Argentina, Ecuador, Ukraine and Honduras in Pot 3. Pot 4 has Japan, South Africa, Panama, Norway, Qatar and Tahiti.
Paul Aigbogun’s wards finished outside the medals’ zone at the Africa U20 Cup of Nations that ended in Niger Republic on Sunday, following consecutive penalty shoot –out defeats (to Mali and then South Africa) but picked the last spot available for Africa.
Poland, which co-hosted the 2012 European Championship with Ukraine, will host this year’s FIFA U20 World Cup finals in the cities of Lublin, Bielsko Biala, Tychy, Bydgoszcz, Gdynia and Lodz, 23rd May – 15th June.
Anthony Nlebem
