Nigeria's U-17 national team, the Golden Eaglets, have departed for China to participate in the 2026 China International Youth Football Tournament, which will be held in Yinchuan from July 5 to 11, Nigeriasoccernet.com reports.
The five-time FIFA U-17 World Cup champions left Nigeria on Thursday night ahead of the four-nation competition, where they will face hosts China, Australia and Tanzania. All matches are scheduled to take place at the Yinchuan Sports Centre Helanshan Stadium.
The invitational tournament is being hosted by the Chinese Football Association in partnership with the Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region Administration of Sport and the Yinchuan Municipal People's Government. Organisation of the competition is being handled by the Ningxia Football Association in collaboration with the Yinchuan Sports Bureau, while the China Football Industry Development Corporation is overseeing its promotion.
Head coach Uwejamomere Eboboritse will lead a 20-man squad for the tournament, with Kalli Mohammed Kachalla and Abdullahi Isa serving as his assistants.
The competition is expected to provide the Golden Eaglets with valuable international experience as they continue preparations for the 2026 WAFU B U-17 Championship, which will serve as the qualifying tournament for the 2027 Africa U-17 Cup of Nations.
Nigeria's technical crew will use the tournament to assess the squad, improve tactical cohesion and expose the young players to high-level opposition ahead of the crucial regional qualifiers scheduled for September.
The Golden Eaglets will be hoping to produce encouraging performances in China as they continue their quest to return to the summit of youth football in Africa and secure qualification for the next U-17 Africa Cup of Nations.