Nigeria U20 coach Zubair: WAFU tournament key to World Cup preparation, not beating Ghana

Nigeria U20 head coach Aliyu Zubair says his team is not seeking any edge over Ghana ahead of their Group A opener in the 2025 WAFU Zone B U20 Championship. Instead, he sees the regional tournament as a valuable opportunity to prepare for next years FIFA U20 World Cup.Defending champions Nigeria will face host nation Ghana on Thursday, July 10, at the Ghanaman Soccer Centre of Excellence in Prampram. Benin is the third team in the group.Speaking at Wednesdays pre-match press conference, Zubair dismissed suggestions of an upper hand over their rivals. We dont have any advantage over Ghana at all. Honestly, thats not why we are here. We just want to know the level of our team and begin to organise ourselves for the World Cup, he said.Zubair explained that although the WAFU tournament wasnt originally part of Nigerias plans, it arrives at a perfect time to evaluate players, build cohesion, and test tactical systems. For me, this tournament has come for Nigeria. Itll offer us a good platform to prepare for the World Cup and that is what is important to us, he added. Read Full Story