Nigeria’s U-20 team, the Flying Eagles, have arrived in Ivory Coast ahead of the 2026 WAFU B U-20 Championship, where they will begin the defence of their title this weekend.
The defending champions landed in Abidjan on Monday before travelling by road to the tournament host city of Yamoussoukro, where they are camped at the Trio Corridor Hotel.
The Flying Eagles will open their campaign against Ghana’s Black Satellites at the Lycée Scientifique on Monday.
The fixture is a repeat of the 2024 final in Lomé, where Nigeria defeated Ghana 2-1 to lift the regional title.
Coach Aliyu Zubairu’s side will then face Togo’s Sparrow Hawks on Thursday before rounding off their Group B fixtures against Burkina Faso’s Young Stallions on Sunday, August 2.
The Flying Eagles are aiming to successfully defend the WAFU B crown as they continue preparations for upcoming continental assignments.
President of the Nigeria School Sport Federation, Mrs Olabisi Joseph, has been elected Continental President for Africa of the International School Sport Federation during the 2026 ISF General Assembly in Belgrade, Serbia, The PUNCH reports.
A total of 82 countries attended the General Assembly, with 79 votes cast during the election.
Joseph’s emergence makes history as she becomes the first African woman and the first woman in the history of the ISF to be elected to the continental leadership position.
Her election is seen as another milestone for Nigeria’s growing influence in the development and administration of school sports across Africa.
In a statement signed by NSSF Secretary-General Oba Funsho, the federation congratulated Joseph on her achievement and pledged its support for her tenure.
“On behalf of the NSSF executives, state coordinators, management, staff and the entire Nigerian student community, we celebrate this milestone and pledge our full support as she takes on this continental responsibility to advance school sports for African children,” the statement read.
“We congratulate her and wish her a successful and impactful tenure.”
Joseph made history in 2019 when she became the first female president of the NSSF after emerging unopposed at the federation’s elective congress held at the Teslim Balogun Stadium in Surulere, Lagos.
A former secretary of the federation, she was re-elected for a second term during the NSSF Annual General Meeting held in Lagos in 2024.
Super Eagles sriker Rafiu Durosinmi is set to become Genk’s most expensive signing after the Belgian club agreed a €10.5m (about N16.6bn) deal with Pisa for the Nigerian striker, PUNCH Sports Extra reports.
According to Italian transfer expert Gianluca Di Marzio, the deal includes performance-related bonuses, while Pisa will also retain a 10 per cent sell-on clause.
The transfer will eclipse Genk’s previous record of €7m, paid to Celta Vigo for Theo Bongonda in 2019.
Durosinmi, 23, only joined Pisa from Czech side Viktoria Plzen in January for a fee believed to be around €9m. However, he struggled to make an impact in Italy, scoring once in 12 competitive appearances.
Pisa’s relegation from Serie A has also influenced the decision to cash in on the Nigerian, with the club now set to recover most of their investment while retaining a stake in any future transfer.
Genk, meanwhile, are betting on Durosinmi rediscovering the form that made him one of the most highly-rated strikers in the Czech Republic.
The Belgian club have enjoyed success with Nigerian forwards, with Paul Onuachu becoming one of the league’s most prolific strikers before earning a move to the Premier League.
Tolu Arokodare also revived his career at Genk, winning the Belgian Pro League Golden Boot before joining Wolverhampton Wanderers.
Standing at 1.92 metres, Durosinmi fits the profile of the powerful centre-forward the club has traditionally developed, and Genk believe he can follow the same path as his compatriots.
The move could also boost his Super Eagles ambitions. With Victor Osimhen, Onuachu, Arokodare and Akor Adams competing for places in Eric Chelle’s attack, regular football and goals in Belgium could bring Durosinmi back into contention for Nigeria.
Travel disruption delayed the arrival of Super Falcons midfielder Deborah Abiodun and forward Gift Monday at Nigeria’s training camp in Casablanca for WAFCON after their scheduled flight from the United States was cancelled due to technical reasons, PUNCH Sports Extra reports.
According to the Nigeria Football Federation, both players arrived at the airport only to learn that their flight had been cancelled, forcing the federation to purchase fresh tickets for the duo to continue their journey to Morocco.
Despite the setback, the Super Falcons’ camp swelled to 23 players on Tuesday afternoon following the arrival of forward Folashade Ijamilusi from China.
The former junior international, who scored twice at the last edition of the Women’s Africa Cup of Nations, including Nigeria’s equaliser in their dramatic 3-2 comeback victory over hosts Morocco in the final, landed in Casablanca shortly before 3pm.
Ijamilusi plays for Chinese club Liaoning Shenyang Shenbei Hefeng.
Abiodun and Gift will complete coach Justine Madugu’s 25-player squad for the tournament.
File: Gift Monday
The 10-time African champions have continued preparations at the La Noria Club in Casablanca ahead of their departure to Morocco’s administrative capital, Rabat, where they will play their Group C matches against Malawi, Zambia and Egypt.
The team’s arrival meeting with officials of the Confederation of African Football and the Local Organising Committee is scheduled for Saturday, July 25.
Nigeria head into the 2026 WAFCON as defending champions and the most successful nation in the competition’s history with 10 titles.
The Super Falcons will begin their title defence against Malawi on Tuesday, July 28, before facing Zambia on Saturday, August 1, and Egypt four days later in their final Group C fixture.
This year’s tournament will also serve as the African qualifiers for the 2027 FIFA Women’s World Cup in Brazil. The four semi-finalists will qualify automatically, while one additional team will secure a place through the intercontinental play-offs.
