Nigeria’s Flying Eagles of Nigeria are making their 14th FIFA U-20 World Cup appearance in the 2025 edition that kicks off in Chile today Saturday, September 27 2025.
The Flying Eagles have twice finished as runners-up in the tournament’s history—first in 1989, when they were edged out by Portugal, and again in 2005, when they lost to a Lionel Messi-inspired Argentina side.
Here, Completesports.com’s AUGUSTINE AKHILOMEN highlights how Nigeria have fared in the group stages of their last 13 appearances at the tournament.
1983 FIFA U-20 World Cup in Mexico
Nigeria made their first appearance in Mexico under the tutelage of Christopher Udemezue. Then known as the FIFA World Youth Championship, the Flying Eagles, with talents such as Wilfred Agbonavbare, Yisa Sofoluwe, Tajudeen Disu, and Ali Jeje, defeated the Soviet Union 2-0 in their opening game.
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However, they were thrashed 3-0 by Brazil in the second Group D match before drawing with the Netherlands in their final group game. They finished third in the group on three points, which was not enough to qualify for the knockout stages.
1985 FIFA U-20 World Cup in the Soviet Union
This edition brought out the best in the Flying Eagles despite being grouped alongside Australia, the Soviet Union, and Canada in Group C.
Nigeria opened with a 2-0 win over Canada through goals from Monday Odiaka and Samson Siasia. They lost 2-0 to the Soviet Union in their second game but edged Australia in a five-goal thriller to qualify from Group C on four points.
The Eagles defeated Mexico 2-1 in the quarter-finals before falling 2-0 to Brazil in the semis. They bounced back to defeat the Soviet Union and claim the bronze medal.
1987 FIFA U-20 World Cup in Chile
The Flying Eagles failed to sustain their rise, crashing out in the group stage.
They lost 3-0 to Brazil in their opener, drew 2-2 with Canada in the second match, and then lost 2-0 to Italy, finishing bottom of Group B with one point.
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1989 FIFA U-20 World Cup in Saudi Arabia
This tournament is remembered for the famous “Miracle of Damman”, when Nigeria came back from 4-0 down to draw 4-4 with the Soviet Union before winning 9-8 on penalties.
In the group stage, the Flying Eagles had defeated Saudi Arabia 2-1, lost 1-0 to Portugal, and drawn 1-1 with Czechoslovakia to advance. They eventually finished as runners-up after losing 2-0 to Portugal in the final.
1999 FIFA U-20 World Cup in Nigeria
As hosts, the Flying Eagles finished second in their group after drawing 1-1 with Costa Rica and defeating Germany 2-0, before losing 2-1 to Paraguay.
They beat the Republic of Ireland on penalties in the round of 16 but were eliminated in the quarter-finals by Mali.
2005 FIFA U-20 World Cup in the Netherlands
Under Samson Siasia, Nigeria reached the final but narrowly lost 2-1 to Argentina, with Lionel Messi scoring twice.
In the group stage, the Flying Eagles drew 0-0 with Brazil, lost 2-1 to South Korea, and thrashed Switzerland 3-0. They went on to beat Ukraine, the Netherlands, and Morocco before falling to Argentina in the decider.
2007 FIFA U-20 World Cup in Canada
Nigeria topped Group F with seven points after defeating Costa Rica and Scotland and drawing 0-0 with Japan.
They beat Zambia in the round of 16 but were hammered 4-0 by Chile in the quarter-finals.
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2009 FIFA U-20 World Cup in Egypt
The Flying Eagles qualified from Group B as one of the best third-placed teams after losing to Venezuela and Spain but thrashing Tahiti 5-0.
They exited in the round of 16, losing 3-2 to Germany.
2011 FIFA U-20 World Cup in Colombia
Nigeria dominated Group D with a perfect record, scoring 12 goals and conceding just twice. They beat Guatemala 5-0, Costa Rica 5-2, and Saudi Arabia 2-0.
They defeated England in the round of 16 but crashed out after a 3-2 extra-time loss to France in the quarter-finals.
2013 FIFA U-20 World Cup in Turkey
The Flying Eagles finished second in their group after losing 3-2 to Portugal, thrashing Cuba 3-0, and edging South Korea 1-0.
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However, they lost 2-1 to Uruguay in the round of 16.
2015 FIFA U-20 World Cup in New Zealand
Drawn with Brazil, North Korea, and Hungary, Nigeria lost 4-1 to Brazil but bounced back with a 4-0 win over North Korea and a 2-0 victory against Hungary to finish on six points.
They were knocked out by Germany in the round of 16 after a narrow 1-0 defeat.
2019 FIFA U-20 World Cup in Poland
The Flying Eagles started brightly, thrashing Qatar 3-0, but lost 2-0 to the United States and drew 1-1 with Ukraine to qualify as one of the best third-placed teams.
They were eliminated by Senegal in the round of 16 after a 2-1 defeat.
2023 FIFA U-20 World Cup in Argentina
Nigeria impressed early, beating the Dominican Republic and Italy, before losing 2-0 to Brazil in their final group game.
They advanced as one of the best third-placed teams with six points. The Eagles stunned hosts Argentina 2-0 in the round of 16 but lost 1-0 to South Korea after extra time in the quarter-finals.
