Flying Eagles head coach, Aliyu Zubairu, has responded calmly to Nigeria’s draw in Group B of the 2025 U-20 Africa Cup of Nations, stating there is no pressure on his team despite being placed in a challenging group.

The draw, revised by CAF after Egypt took over as hosts, has seen Nigeria placed in what many are referring to as yet another “Group of Death.” The group consists of Tunisia, Kenya, and Morocco, teams that pose significant challenges for any squad at this level.

Despite the tough group, Zubairu insists that there is no reason to be concerned, emphasizing that every team in African football at this stage of the competition is a formidable opponent. According to him, the key focus should be on proper preparation rather than overemphasizing the difficulty of the group.

“I think it is high time we stop looking at some teams as bigger while some as smaller,” Zubairu told Soccernet.ng. “There are no minor opponents in African football anymore, it all depends on your level of preparation.”

The Flying Eagles’ head coach continued, offering perspective on the ever-changing nature of tournament draws. He pointed out that even when the original draw had placed Nigeria alongside Egypt, South Africa, and Morocco, the group was quickly labeled a “Group of Death.” Now, with the revised draw placing them against Tunisia, Kenya, and Morocco again, there are fresh concerns about another “difficult” group. Zubairu is undeterred, insisting that all teams in the competition are tough and that the primary concern should be how well Nigeria is preparing for the challenge ahead.

“Imagine when the first draw was done, we called it the group of death simply because we were drawn alongside Egypt, South Africa, and Morocco,” he said. “Now we have a new draw that consists of Tunisia, Kenya, with the same Morocco, and we have started saying another difficult group. Which country do we want to play that is not tough? All I will say is how much have we prepared is what should be the issue.”

Zubairu expressed satisfaction with the progress the team has made in the lead-up to the tournament, describing the improvements as “tremendous.” The Flying Eagles have been training hard and refining their skills, with Zubairu confident in their ability to rise to the occasion despite the challenges ahead.

As the tournament draws closer, the team enters the final phase of their preparations, with just two weeks left until the competition kicks off in Egypt on April 27. Currently, thirty-five players are in camp, and Zubairu will soon have to make the difficult decision of selecting his final squad for the tournament.

“There is no pressure of any kind. All we are doing is to keep focus to achieve our first target, which is to get the ticket to the World Cup,” Zubairu concluded.