Nigeria’s Flying Eagles will kick off their campaign at the 2025 TotalEnergies U-20 Africa Cup of Nations with a crunch clash against familiar foes Tunisia at the 30 June Stadium in Cairo on Thursday, May 1.
The Group B opener is scheduled to start at 6:00 p.m. local time (15:00 GMT), and fans across the continent can catch the action live on CAF’s official broadcast partners, including SuperSport and AfroSport TV. CAF TV on YouTube may also provide coverage in regions without broadcast access.
Of course, Soccernet.ng will be on standby to feed their audience with a minute-by-minute live commentary of the clash between the two teams.
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The Flying Eagles come into the game on a high after a morale-boosting 2-1 victory over host nation Egypt in a friendly match played at the Cairo International Stadium on Tuesday — just two days after arriving in the Egyptian capital. The result has lifted the mood in camp and set a positive tone ahead of their opening fixture.
Speaking after the win, head coach Aliyu Zubairu expressed confidence in his team’s readiness:
“That result has provided a good impetus for us as we prepare to face the Tunisians – another North African opposition. You need a result like that when you’re preparing for a competition like this. It does not mean that we will rest on our oars; it only serves to give us much-needed confidence and ginger us to face our challenges better.”
“We will go for the maximum points against the Tunisians and then take it one step at a time as we forge ahead.”
Nigeria and Tunisia share a storied history in youth football, with their rivalry dating back to 1981. That year, Nigeria edged Tunisia 5-4 on aggregate in a dramatic two-legged affair — winning the first leg 4-0 before surviving a 4-1 loss in the return leg.
Both sides will be eager to start strong in a group that also features Morocco and Kenya. The top two teams in each group, along with the best two third-placed teams, will progress to the quarter-finals, with a ticket to the FIFA U-20 World Cup in Chile at stake for all four semi-finalists.