As the U20 team of Nigeria get set to take part in the U20 World Cup in Chile, OwnGoalNigeria.com picks five players expected to be the star in the Nigerian team.

1. Suleiman Sani ( AS Trencin) – A controversial exclusion from the Nigeria U20 team two years ago. Now ranked among the best teen prospect in world football alongside the likes of the Barcelona duo of Lamine Yamal and Pau Cubarsi. Blessed with an uncanny ability with both feet. Quick, skillful, strong and creative. He is no doubt the top talent in the Nigerian team.

2. Orseer Achihi ( Antwerp) – Signed by the Belgium side in the summer and already tipped for a first team breakthrough this season. He is bless with pace, power and skills that will be needed by the attack of the Nigerian team, which was blunt at the AFCON.

3. Ebenezer Harcourt ( Sporting Lagos) – Already a well known name among football enthusiasts in Nigeria. Has a senior team tournament appearance to his name in the game for the B team against Congo at the CHAN tournament. All eyes on him and he knows.

4. Ocheche Amos Onyejefu ( Reims) – He was very good at the camp in Abuja and immediately warmed his way into the heart of the coaches. The expectation is that he will use the tournament to properly introduce himself not just to Nigerians but the rest of the world.

5. Daniel Daga ( Molde) – Returning to the world stage at this level for the second time will no doubt put him in a strong position to stand out. His development over the past two years at Enyimba and now in Norway will be handy for the Nigerian team at key moments.

Mohammed Mowiz Suleiman

Turning his attention to Christantus Uche, Glasner acknowledged the new signing’s meteoric rise, versatility and quick adaptation: “Yeah, he showed it [his enjoyment]. That’s why I said he’s always smiling [earlier in the press conference].

“He said he’s living his dream in the Premier League, and he will give everything so that we are successful – that’s great.

“He’ll get all the support from everyone – the players, the staff – to help him improve, to become the best Christantus Uche he can be. And then he will have a good impact on us.”

On where he fits in, Glasner said: “I think he can play all three attacking positions. I also talked to him, and he feels most comfortable in the number 10 position – and that’s also where we see him.

“With JP and Eddie Nketiah as our number 9s, we were looking for a player who could be a physical presence from the [number] 10. That’s similar to Ismaila – he could play as a [number] nine, but we think he’s better when he has the game in front of him and can attack the space.

“That’s what we see with Uche as well. And like with Ismaila, it will take a little bit of time. He’ll get that time, and then he will show up for us.”

As many as 16 players who were part of the Nigeria U20 team to the U20 AFCON have been dropped from the team that will be campaigning at the world cup in Chile, OwnGoalNigeria.com reports.

Only eight players who helped the team qualify for the world cup by finishing third at the AFCON made the trip for their final round of camping, which will last for 12 days before the start of the tournament.

Seven-time African champions Nigeria will play all their Group F matches at the Estadio Fiscal in Talca, a city 250 kilometres from the Chilean capital, Santiago. They will first confront Norway on Monday, 29th September, before clashes with Saudi Arabia (2nd October) and Colombia (5th October).

A team of 20 players and 11 officials (midfielder Daniel Daga will join the team in Chile from his base in Norway) departed from the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja on Sunday evening, aboard a Turkish Airline flight to Istanbul, where the contingent will connect to Santiago – venue of their final phase camping.

Nigeria were narrowly edged by Korea Republic after extra time in the semi finals at the last championship hosted by Argentina. The country finished as runners-up in 1989 in Saudi Arabia and in 2005 in The Netherlands.

FLYING EAGLES FOR 2025 FIFA U20 WORLD CUP FINALS

Goalkeepers: Ebenezer Harcourt (Sporting Lagos); Clinton Ezekiel (Bayelsa United); Rufa’i Abubakar (Mavlon FC)

Defenders: Ocheche Amos Onyejefu (Stade de Reims, France); Odinaka Okoro (Sporting Lagos); Daniel Bameyi (Bayelsa United); Marvelous Avberosou (Ikorodu City); Alatan Azuka (36 Lions); Akinyele Ahmed Olamide (Remo Stars)

Midfielders: Israel Ayuma (NK Istra, Croatia); Emmanuel Ekowoicho (FC Montana, Bulgaria); Mustapha Kamaldeen (Kwara Football Academy); Daniel Daga (Molde FC, Norway); Auwal Ibrahim (Akwa United); Nasiru Salihu (Qabala FC, Azerbaijan)

Forwards: Achichi Oseer (Royal Antwerp FC, Belgium); Sani Suleman (AS Trencin, Slovakia); Tahir Maigana (Wireless FC); Kparobo Arierhi (Lillestrom SK, Norway); Charles Agaba (NK Istra, Croatia); Abdullahi Shitu Ele (Manchester City FC, England)

World football governing body FIFA says they are not to be blamed for the poor nature of the playing surface that hosted the world cup qualifiers game between South Africa and Nigeria in Bloemfontein, OwnGoalNigeria.com reports.

The Toyota Stadium in Bloemfontein is well known for hosting rugby games than that of football, but yet got approval by FIFA to host the world cup qualifiers games as the home ground for Lesotho and also South Africa.

Two players of the Nigerian team in Ola Aina and Wilfred Ndidi picked up injuries in the 1-1 draw against South Africa and will now spend some time on the sidelines. The players were furious with the state of the pitch before, during and after the game.

Reacting to their anger, Nigerian journalist Osasu Obayiuwana spoke with a representative of FIFA who said they approved the pitch after CAF sent a report saying it’s okay to host games. However they would have likely overturn CAF’s decision if there was a protest by the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF).

“We, [as FIFA] have no capacity to check all the stadiums for all the World Cup qualifiers. We rely on the confederations (in this case CAF) to do so, because they organise the World Cup qualifiers within the region. If they didn’t do the job properly, which could happen, in this specific case, then NFF can file a complaint and then we see”, a spokesman for FIFA told Osasu.

Sadly the NFF didn’t send an advanced team to see the state of the stadium, when it was approved for the game, and Aina who is now out of three months lashed out at the president of the NFF Ibrahim Musa Gusua at half time break, accusing him of endangering them by allowing the game to be played on a such a horrible surface.

Ade Emmanuel

Head coach of the senior national team of Nigeria Eric Chelle is looking at handing a call up to 19 year old AC Milan centre back David Odogu, who recently joined the club from German side Wolfsburg.

We can exclusively reported that Chelle was made aware of the emerging centre back by Nigeria football legend Segun Odegbami, but he was initially reluctant until after seeing the exploits of 20 year old defender Benjamin Fredrick.

Fredrick started both world cup qualifiers games for Nigeria against Rwanda and South Africa respectively, putting in a man of the match performance in both games and it has forced Chelle into a rethink.

The coach will now closely monitor the progress of the defender, before making a decision on his potential call up. For now he is yet to play for AC Milan but did play three times for Wolfsburg in the German Bundesliga last season.

Born in Germany to parents of Nigerian descent , he has already represented Germany at different youth levels but it is said that he is open to playing for Nigeria and was proposed to the coach of the Nigeria U20 team.

Mohammed Mowiz Suleiman

The senior national team of Nigeria have been handed a lifeline in their bid to make it to the 2026 World Cup, which will take place in Canada, USA and Mexico, OwnGoalNigeria.com reports.

Nigeria are currently facing a tough time to finish as winners of their group, which will automatically guarantee them a spot at the tournament next year and even a second place finish which will see them go a inter confederation playoff isn’t looking bright.

Only the four best group runners-up will be drawn into play-offs to determine the CAF representative at the inter-confederation play-offs.

The play-off winner will join one team each from AFC, CONMEBOL and OFC and two from CONCACAF in the inter-confederation play-offs.

The teams will be ranked according to the FIFA Men’s World Ranking, with the four lowest-ranked teams playing in two single-elimination matches. The winners will meet the two highest-ranked teams in another set of single-elimination matches, with the winners of these matches qualifying for the world cup.

It is in this area that a potential loophole has been opened for Nigeria to sneak in with the withdrawal of Eritrea from Group E, even without a ball was kicked leaving the group short by one, meaning they have five teams instead of six.

What FIFA and other confederation have done in situations like this in the past is to deduct points from the lowest ranked team in each group, to make up for the lack of numbers in the other group.

An example cited in CAF / FIFA history. In 2010 CAF World Cup qualification, was when this same Eritrea withdrew from their group and because other groups had full size, when ranking the runners-up (for the stage that selected “best runners-up”), the results against the group’s 4th-placed team were excluded for the groups that had the full number of teams.

That meant each runner-up was compared over the same number of matches (excluding matches vs. the lowest-team in groups that still had full membership).

CAF and UEFA have also used this same method in their regional tournaments in the event that a team’s withdrawal bring about an imbalance in the group as against other groups.

In the Euro 2016 qualifiers. One group (Group 1) had five teams while others had six. UEFA’s rule for the “best third-placed team” was to discard matches against the sixth-placed team in the six-team groups so every team was compared over the same number of games.

UEFA used it in the 2022 World Cup qualifying Groups when they were unequal size (five vs six). For seeding the ten runners-up into the play-off draw, UEFA discarded the runners-up’s results vs the sixth-placed team before applying points, goal difference, etc.

There’s also an older CAF (Africa) precedent: in the 2010 CAF second round, after Eritrea withdrew (and Ethiopia were excluded), CAF’s runners-up ranking ignored results against the fourth-placed team so comparisons were even across groups

So in practice, the Super Eagles who have already lost four points against current bottom of the table team in their group will likely sneak in ahead of teams from other groups, who picked maximum points against bottom oppositions.

However, the Super Eagles need to finish second for this to become a reality, and it’s only possible if they win their remaining two games in the qualifiers.

Mohammed Mowiz Suleiman

World football governing body FIFA has implemented a three points, three goals deduction on Equatorial Guinea for fielding an ineligible player in the world cup qualifiers, OwnGoalNigeria.com reports.

The Central Africans beat both Namibia and Liberia 1-0 in November 2023 but Fifa awarded their opponents technical 3-0 wins six months later because the National Thunder fielded Emilio Nsue, who scored the winner in both games.

Nsue who is the country’s all time top scorer was deem ineligible to play due to nationality dispute after representing Spain at various youth levels, before deciding to switch to the African nation.

Equatorial Guinea are now facing a tough task to make it as the second best placed team which will guarantee them a playoff spot owing to the point deduction. A similar fate awaits South Africa who also fielded an ineligible player in Teboho Mokoena.

Mokoena was supposed to be suspended for the game against Lesotho after picking up two bookings in previous games, but played in the 2-0 win leaving the country with a potential three points, three goals deduction.

The ruling against Equatorial Guinea has now strike fears into the camp of South Africa Hugo with the potential of Benin Republic going level on point with them, and Nigeria falling to just three points behind them when the points deduction is enforced.

However they will still be favourite in their group, but it will now mean that they need to win their remaining two games to be sure of making it to the 2026 World Cup.

Mohammed Mowiz Suleiman

At EasyWin Nigeria, we believe football is more than just a game, it’s a lifestyle that fuels passion, drives conversations, and even inspires smart betting decisions. Beyond the goals and trophies, football delivers viral moments that capture the imagination of millions, sparking debates from Lagos to London and beyond. In 2025, a series of unforgettable highlights went global, keeping fans and punters glued to their screens. Let’s dive into the top moments that shaped the football world and why they matter for Nigerian fans.

Mbappé’s Dream Start at Real Madrid

When Kylian Mbappé finally sealed his long-awaited move to Real Madrid, expectations were sky-high. But few imagined the French superstar would announce himself with a debut hat-trick. Within minutes, clips of his blistering pace and clinical finishing dominated TikTok, Instagram, and X. For punters, it was a sharp reminder of how goal-scorer markets can turn opportunity into reward when stars hit form early.

Ronaldo’s Emotional International Farewell

Cristiano Ronaldo’s name is etched in football history, but his final bow for Portugal was a moment that shook the world. His tears, standing ovation, and heartfelt words spread like wildfire online. For bettors, it also underscored why legends like CR7 remain dependable options in markets such as “anytime goal-scorer” right up until the very end.

Japan’s Teenage Sensation in the Champions League

Another viral story came from Asia, where a teenage Japanese talent stunned Europe with a breakout Champions League performance. His fearless dribbles and match-winning strike captured global attention. For betting enthusiasts, spotting such rising stars early is key to smart predictions in markets like “first goalscorer” or “man of the match.”

Why Viral Moments Matter for Fans and Bettors

Viral football clips don’t just entertain, they influence betting patterns, shape odds, and even affect player valuations. A single moment can shift perceptions overnight. For EasyWin Nigeriaplayers, following these highlights offers more than excitement, it provides an edge in making informed predictions and enjoying football beyond the 90 minutes.

Final Whistle

From Mbappé’s dazzling debut in Madrid to Ronaldo’s emotional farewell and the rise of Japan’s wonderkid, 2025 has already given us moments that will live forever. These stories remind us that football is not only about passion but also about opportunity. And with EasyWin Nigeria, fans don’t just watch the game, they play smarter, celebrate harder, and win bigger.

The decision of head coach of the senior national team of Nigeria Eric Chelle to play William Troost-Ekong in the Super Eagles 1-1 draw against South Africa in the world cup qualifiers was made under pressure, OwnGoalNigeria.com can exclusively reveal.

Ekong was a second half substitute in the 1-0 win over Rwanda in the world cup qualifiers in Uyo. His spot was handed to 20 year old on loan Brentford defender Benjamin Fredrick who posted a man of the match performance in his first ever start at competitive level for Nigeria.

Fredrick kept his spot in the team for the game against South Africa, but this time around was made to play in a back four with captain Ekong as his partner in defence.

However Ekong lasted just 45 minutes before he was subbed off during the half time break. Only after he had scored an own goal and struggled to cope with the pace and direct approach of the host.

” When Ekong was listed to start in the game , I just smiled because I know it wasn’t the idea of the coach. In the first game when it was announced that Ekong won’t start there was a mild drama over the decision to pick Fredrick. Three senior players openly expressed their reservations about the choice of the coach”, a player in the team revealed.

” I was on the bench that day and not only were we surprised by Benjamin’s performance. We were blown away but after the game , some senior players started with the same agenda of we need Ekong away to South Africa because of the nature of the game.

• The coach (Chelle) bowed to pressure and I believe he will be having some regrets. At half time he switched to his preferred option although Ola Aina would have moved to left back for Bright Osayi-Samuel to play at right back if not for his injury. I was expecting to be introduced but unfortunately not everyone can play”, he concluded.