Nigeria’s U-15 boys, the Future Eagles, arrived in Baku on Thursday afternoon for the inaugural FIFA U-15 World Cup & Festival, and will open their campaign against South Sudan on Saturday.

The 14 players and six officials, including Head Coach Patrick Bassey and Team Administrator Nasiru Jibril, left Abuja on Wednesday night on a Turkish Airlines flight to Istanbul before connecting to the Azerbaijani capital.

Nigeria are in Group AD, alongside South Sudan, Jordan, The Gambia, Cyprus and Pakistan. After the South Sudan game on Saturday, they face Jordan and The Gambia on Sunday, then Cyprus and Pakistan on Monday.

Three of those opponents, South Sudan, Cyprus and Pakistan, are among 78 of the 189 participating Member Associations who have never played at any FIFA World Cup, men’s or women’s, at any age level, according to FIFA. Nigeria are not among the debutants.

According to FIFA, group-stage results will decide which of six tiers each team enters for the second stage, scheduled for 28 and 29 October. The tier finals follow on Friday, 30 October. There are no knockout rounds, so every team plays through to the final day. The Tier A winner will be crowned champion.

Matches are 8-a-side, over two 20-minute halves, with rolling substitutions and kick-ins on smaller pitches. The boys’ edition is open to players born in 2011 or 2012. FIFA says 189 of the 211 invited associations confirmed participation.

FIFA Head of Youth Tournaments Roberto Grassi described the event as “a global community united around football for all.” He said many players will travel abroad for the first time wearing their national jersey. Grassi also said FIFA chose the “World Cup/Festival” label because the players are not professionals.

All teams are housed in one Athletes’ Village. Most matches will be played at the Hovsan Competition Complex, while Baku Crystal Hall will stage the opening ceremony and finals. Teams will also take part in educational activities and meet FIFA Legends.

A girls’ edition follows in 2027, and annual boys’ and girls’ tournaments begin in 2028.

FUTURE EAGLES SQUAD:

Goalkeepers: Victor Wisdom (Eagles Wings Academy, Abuja), Peter Linus (HB Academy, Abuja)

Defenders: Daniel Olaomi (Eagles Wings Academy), Prosperity Anionovo (Buruj Football Academy, Lagos), Timothy Ijachi (Mavlon FC, Lagos), David Okwusogu (NFF TDS), Michael Ibironke (NFF TDS)

Midfielders: Abdulsalam Muhammad (Simonben Academy, Kaduna), Martin Chukwu (AS Roma Academy, Abuja), Ayomide Jekami (NFF TDS), Mayowa Salu (NFF TDS)

Forwards: Abdulrazak Mufutau (12Alive FC, Ibadan), Wisdom Oche (Shakhandam Academy, Abuja), Wisdom Boniface (Adoration Academy, Enugu)

Afghanistan, Albania, American Samoa, Andorra, Anguilla, Antigua and Barbuda, Aruba, Bahamas, Bangladesh, Barbados, Belarus, Belize, Bermuda, Bhutan, Botswana, British Virgin Islands, Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, Cayman Islands, Central African Republic, Chad, Comoros, Cook Islands, Cyprus, Djibouti, Dominica, Estonia, Eswatini, Gabon, Georgia, Gibraltar, Grenada, Guam, Guinea-Bissau, Guyana, Hong Kong (China), Kosovo, Kyrgyz Republic, Laos, Latvia, Lebanon, Lesotho, Liberia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Macau (China), Madagascar, Maldives, Malta, Mauritania, Mauritius, Moldova, Mongolia, Montenegro, Montserrat, Mozambique, Namibia, Nepal, Nicaragua, North Macedonia, Pakistan, Palestine, Seychelles, Singapore, Somalia, South Sudan, Sri Lanka, St Kitts and Nevis, St Lucia, St Vincent and the Grenadines, Suriname, São Tomé and Príncipe, Timor-Leste, Tonga, Turkmenistan, Turks and Caicos Islands, US Virgin Islands and Zimbabwe.