Nigeria is set to clash with Benin Republic and Côte d’Ivoire in the group stages of the WAFU B zonal qualifiers for this year’s CAF Schools Football Championship, which kicks off this week in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso.
The four-day tournament will feature competitions in both male and female categories, though Nigeria is participating only in the boys’ event. In the male competition, Group B consists of Nigeria, Côte d’Ivoire, and Benin Republic, while Group A features hosts Burkina Faso, Ghana, and Niger Republic.
The female category sees a two-team Group A with hosts Burkina Faso and Côte d’Ivoire, while Group B includes Ghana, Benin Republic, and Niger Republic.
Nigeria’s schoolboys, selected from recent national competitions held in Abuja, will open their campaign on Monday at 11:00 a.m., facing Côte d’Ivoire at Stade August 4 in Ouagadougou.
They will then take on Benin Republic on Tuesday at 9:00 a.m. Semi-final matches are scheduled for Wednesday, with the final and third-place decider set for Thursday.
The Nigerian contingent, comprising 19 players and six officials, arrived in Ouagadougou on Saturday after travelling through Lagos and Abidjan. They are currently lodged at the Hotel Splendid in the Burkinabe capital.
The squad features players from across Nigeria, including Government Basic Education School, Kaduna; Government Junior Secondary School, Jalingo; Adaigbo Secondary School, Ogwashi-Ukwu; National Grammar School, Enugu; and Ekiti Parapo College, Ido-Ekiti. The team is under the guidance of Coach Oluwaseun Oyeniyi.
As the boys prepare to showcase their skills on the West African stage, hopes are high for a strong performance that could see Nigeria advance deep into the tournament.
