Nigeria competes against the defending champions Senegal in the quarter-finals of the U-20 AFCON.

The Flying Eagles face a significant challenge in their pursuit of advancement at the 2025 U-20 AFCON in Egypt, as they are set to compete against the reigning champions, Senegal, in the tournament's quarter-finals on Monday, May 12.

Senegal secured their position as Nigeria's knockout stage adversary on Thursday by defeating DR Congo 2-0 in their final Group C match. Nigeria advanced to the quarter-finals on Wednesday following a resilient 2-2 draw with Kenya in their last group B encounter.

The Flying Eagles concluded the group stage in second place with five points, trailing group leaders Morocco by two points, who triumphed over Tunisia 3-1 in the other match of the pool, thus establishing a matchup with the titleholders Senegal, who have experienced a variety of outcomes in this tournament.

The quarter-final clash is an all-important game for both countries as the semi-finalists will also pick the ticket to represent Africa at the FIFA U-20 World Cup, which will be played in Chile later this year.

Aliyu Zubairu’s team have also arrived in Ismailia ahead of the crucial quarter-final clash against Senegal.

The Flying Eagles’ match on Monday will be the first quarter-final, starting at 3 pm Egypt time (1 pm Nigeria time) in Ismailia.

Nigeria have won the U-20 AFCON seven times (1983, 1985, 1987, 1989, 2005, 2011, 2015) and were runners-up twice.