Nigeria’s U-15 boys’ and girls’ teams will face familiar West African rivals after being drawn into competitive groups for the 2025 African Secondary School Championship zonal qualifiers billed for Côte d’Ivoire.
The draw for the fourth edition of the tournament was conducted on Friday, November 21, 2025, at the WAFU-B headquarters in Abidjan.
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In the boys’ category, Nigeria has been placed in Group B, where they will battle hosts Côte d’Ivoire and regional neighbours Benin Republic for a coveted spot in the finals. Group A houses Burkina Faso, Ghana, and Togo.
The girls’ U-15 draw also handed Nigeria a competitive path, as they slot into Group A alongside Côte d’Ivoire and Benin Republic. Group B features Togo, Ghana, and Burkina Faso.
With only the zonal winners advancing to the continental showpiece, the qualifiers promise high-intensity football as teams showcase some of the best emerging talents in West Africa.
The 2025 African Secondary School Championship finals are scheduled for December 1–4 in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso, with six WAFU-B nations expected to participate across both categories. The competition, organised by the Confederation of African Football (CAF), continues to serve as a vital platform for scouting and developing elite young footballers.
Ghana enters the qualifiers as one of the favourites, buoyed by its strong showing in the last edition, where its girls’ team clinched the continental title and the boys’ side finished third—a performance that has intensified expectations for another dominant run.
Nigeria, a traditional powerhouse in youth football, will hope to navigate the tough groupings and secure qualification for the finals as the quest to unearth the region’s next generation of stars begins.
