Egypt 2025: Flying Eagles seek bronze compensation against Young Pharaohs

Posted : 18 May 2025

Seven-time champions Nigeria and hosts, four-time champions Egypt, will both fight hard for the bronze medal when they clash in the third-place match of the ongoing Africa U-20 Cup of Nations finals in Cairo on Sunday.

Both teams were tipped by pundits to emerge from their semi-final clashes, but the results went the other way, and they are now set to play the losers’ final at the 30 June Air Defence Stadium in downtown Cairo.

Morocco and South Africa will face off in a repeat of the 1997 final, which the Atlas Cubs won 1-0 in Meknes.

This is the fifth time that Nigeria—winners in 1983, 1985, 1987, 1989, 2005, 2011, and 2015—will be playing for the bronze medal. For Egypt, it will be the fourth time. Both teams have previously won the bronze medal three times.

Nigeria and Egypt also contested the 2005 final in Cotonou, with the Flying Eagles coming out on top following a 2-0 win. Isaac Promise (of blessed memory) scored both goals.

As hosts in 1995, after losing their semi-final tie to Cameroon in Kaduna, the Flying Eagles defeated Mali 1-0 in Lagos to claim the bronze medal. In 2009 in Rwanda, the team led by Haruna Lukman defeated South Africa’s Amajita 2-1 to place third in the competition.

In 2013, in Algeria, the Flying Eagles defeated Mali 2-1 to finish third after losing 0-2 to Egypt in their semi-final clash at the Stade Omar Oucief in Aïn Témouchent. Six years ago, following a penalty-shootout defeat to Mali in the semi-finals, the Flying Eagles again lost on penalties to South Africa in the third-place match.

Egypt’s first African U-20 title came in 1981 (when the competition was played on a home-and-away basis), after they defeated Cameroon 3-1 on aggregate. Both teams qualified for the FIFA World Youth Championship (now FIFA U-20 World Cup) in Australia. Cameroon had earlier beaten Nigeria 4-2 on aggregate in the penultimate round.

The Young Pharaohs won their second title at the inaugural tournament-format finals, which Egypt hosted in 1991 and which featured six countries. Their third title came 12 years later in Burkina Faso, when they defeated Côte d’Ivoire 4-3 after extra time at the Stade du 4 Août in Ouagadougou.

Egypt won their fourth title 10 years later. Ghana, the 1999 world champions, were the victims. Regulation and extra time ended 1-1 at the Stade Ahmed Zabana in Oran, before the Young Pharaohs claimed the title with a 5-4 win in the penalty shootout.

Nigeria’s first participation in the Africa U-20 Cup of Nations was in 1979, when the team led by Sylvanus Okpala lost 1-2 on aggregate (0-1 in Conakry and 1-1 in Lagos) to Guinea and thus failed to qualify for the second edition of the global finals held in Japan.

The Young Pharaohs, who lost by a narrow margin to North African rivals Morocco in the second semi-final on Thursday, have also won the third-place match at the competition three times previously.

They defeated Ethiopia on two occasions—3-0 in Mauritius in 1993 and 2-0 when Ethiopia hosted eight years later. Their third win came in South Africa in 2011, when they defeated Mali’s Aiglons.

Nigeria and Egypt clashed in a group stage game two years ago, with the Flying Eagles victorious following Solomon Agbalaka’s powerful first-half header.

Head Coach Aliyu Zubairu may ring changes in the squad for Sunday’s game. The gaffer voiced his disappointment with the players following Thursday’s defeat to the Amajita.

Injured first-choice goalkeeper Ebenezer Harcourt is still under observation and will need a second assessment during Saturday night’s official training session to determine if he will be fit to return to action. Captain Daniel Bameyi, Odinaka Okoro, Adamu Maigari, and Emmanuel Chukwu are the likely options for the rearguard.

Israel Ayuma has had an impressive tournament and should start in midfield alongside any two of Sulyman Alabi, Simon Cletus, Divine Oliseh, and Auwal Ibrahim. Clinton Jephta, Kparobo Arierhi, Tahir Maigana, Bidemi Amole, Precious Benjamin, and Mendos Rickson are all available for selection in the forward line.

Egypt 2025: Flying Eagles seek bronze compensation against Young Pharaohs

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