NFF lists 26 players for Golden Eaglets’ campaign at Under-17 AFCON

[FILE] Golden Eaglets Photo: Completesports.com

The Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) on Sunday in Abuja released a list of 26 players picked for the country’s participation in the 2023 Africa Under-17 Cup of Nations in Algeria.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the list has 16 players from various football academies across the country, while the rest 10 are from amateur clubsides.

Nigeria’s Golden Eaglets, who are five-time world champions, are scheduled to arrive in the Algerian city of Constantine on Sunday night for their final preparations for the competition.

NAN reports that the team was earlier scheduled to finalise their preparations in Germany, ahead of the competition billed for Saturday to May 19.

“Following complications which arose in the process of securing entry visa into Germany for a planned final training camp in that country, the NFF opted to send the squad earlier to Algeria for the final build-up.

”Constantine, the renowned city where the Eaglets will take on Morocco, Zambia and South Africa in Group B, is the choice,” Ademola Olajire, NFF’s Director of Communications, said on Sunday in a statement.

NAN reports that the Eaglets, whose coaching crew is headed by Nduka Ugbade, swept all before them to win the WAFU B Under-17 Championship in Cape Coast, Ghana in June.

They have since put on display tremendous firepower in their preparations for the continental showpiece.

After resuming camp mid-March following the break for the general elections, the Eaglets played 12 friendly matches at their FIFA Goal Project pitch base in Abuja.

They won 11 of the matches and drew the other one, scoring a total of 66 goals and conceding 14.

“We are going to Algeria with confidence but with level heads. We’re the