Super Eagles coach Eric Chelle visited the Flying Eagles training camp in Ikenne Remo following his return from a European tour.
The former Mali coach, who recently met with key national team players in Europe, observed training sessions and shared words of encouragement with the U-20 squad preparing for the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations in Ivory Coast.
Head coach Aliyu Zubairu has invited 30 players to camp ahead of the tournament scheduled for 26 April to 18 May, where the seven-time champions will face Egypt, Morocco and South Africa in Group B.
The Flying Eagles will be aiming to secure one of four tickets to the FIFA U-20 World Cup in Chile in September.
During his European tour, Chelle, alongside assistant Hedi Taboubi, met with Alex Iwobi and Wilfred Ndidi in England before visiting Moses Simon at Nantes in France, as part of preparations for next month’s 2026 World Cup qualifiers.
The Super Eagles face Rwanda in Kigali on 21 March before hosting Zimbabwe at the Godswill Akpabio International Stadium in Uyo four days later, as they begin their quest to return to the World Cup after missing out on Qatar 2022.
While Chelle’s supervisory role covers both the Flying Eagles and CHAN Eagles, his primary focus remains the senior national team, and he is expected to attend several Nigeria Premier Football League (NPFL) matches to scout for local talent.
This aligns with the Nigeria Football Federation’s strategy of integrating more home-based players into the national team setup, as the federation aims to avoid a repeat of the disappointment suffered when Nigeria failed to qualify for the 2022 World Cup after losing to Ghana in the playoffs.
The Super Eagles had previously qualified for the 2018 edition in Russia with a game to spare, and Chelle will be hoping to emulate that success in the current qualifying campaign.
