On the day that FIFA clocks 119 years, Nigeria’s Flying Eagles tonight in Mendoza, Argentina begin another quest to win the FIFA Under 20 World Cup.
In the Group D encounter, they are meeting debutants, Dominican Republic at 7pm, Nigerian time (3pm local time). Nigeria’s best efforts at the competition was finishing as runners-up at Saudi ‘89 and and Netherlands 2005.
The Dominican Republic men’s U-20 team made history by qualifying for the FIFA U-20 World Cup 2023, where they will become the first side to represent the nation at a FIFA World Cup across all age levels and genders.
The Caribbean nation secured their landmark qualification via the 2022 Concacaf Men’s U-20 Championship in Honduras last June, where they triumphed over El Salvador, Jamaica and Guatemala in the knockout stages en route to their first final, which they subsequently lost against a strong USA team who claimed their third successive title.
Not only did their exploits at the tournament see the Dominican Republic seal their spot at Argentina 2023, but they also clinched a place at the Men’s Olympic Football Tournament Paris 2024 courtesy of a thrilling penalty shoot-out win over Guatemala in the semi-finals.
Midfielder Edison Azcona and forward Ángel Montes De Oca were both key to their memorable campaign on Honduran soil, with the pair claiming spots in the tournament best XI.
