Flying Eagles Arrive in Talca, Chile for FIFA U-20 World Cup

Nigeria’s U-20 men’s football team, the Flying Eagles, arrived in the Chilean city of Talca on Thursday afternoon ahead of their participation in the 2025 FIFA U-20 World Cup.

Nigeria is in Group F alongside Norway, Saudi Arabia, and Colombia, with all group matches scheduled to take place in Talca.

The team received a warm welcome from FIFA officials, members of the Local Organising Committee, and hotel staff upon arrival. They are currently staying at Hotel Diego de Almagro in Talca.

Later that evening, the Flying Eagles held their first training session to begin final preparations for the tournament.

According to PUNCH Online, Head Coach Ali Zubair said the team has learned from the mistakes made during the Africa U-20 Cup of Nations and is now better prepared for the challenges ahead at the World Cup.

Before arriving in Talca, the team spent 12 days in Santiago for a training camp. During that time, they played friendly matches against host nation Chile and Australia. The Flying Eagles drew 1-1 with Chile, and defeated Australia 3-1 on Tuesday.

Nigeria will kick off its World Cup campaign on Monday, September 29, with a match against Norway at the Estadio Fiscal de Talca. They will later face Saudi Arabia and Colombia in their remaining group games.

The Flying Eagles are one of the most successful youth teams in Africa. Since their debut in the FIFA U-20 World Cup in 1983, they have reached the finals twice in 1989, when they lost to Portugal, and in 2005, when they lost to Argentina, led by a young Lionel Messi.

The team has also reached the semifinals several times and is known for producing many players who later starred for the Super Eagles, such as Mikel Obi, Taye Taiwo, Kelechi Iheanacho, and Victor Osimhen.