Golden Eaglets End China Tournament Winless as Tanzania Clinch Four-Nation Title
Nigeria’s Golden Eaglets wrapped up their campaign at the 2026 CFA Team China International Youth Football Tournament without a victory after battling hosts China to a 1-1 draw in their final match on Saturday in Yinchuan.
The draw ended a disappointing outing for the seven-time African champions, who finished the four-nation invitational tournament with one point from three matches after earlier defeats to Tanzania and Australia.
Coach Uwejamomere Eboboritse’s youthful squad entered the competition as part of preparations for upcoming international assignments, using the tournament to assess players and build cohesion.
Nigeria began the tournament with a narrow 3-2 defeat to Tanzania before suffering a 4-2 loss to Australia in their second outing.
They eventually salvaged a point with a 1-1 draw against the Chinese U-17 side in their final fixture.
Despite Nigeria’s struggles, Tanzania’s Serengeti Boys emerged as champions after an impressive campaign that included victories over both Nigeria, hosts China and Australia to end the competition with maximum nine points, scoring ten goals in the three Matches played.
China finished as runners-up, while Australia claimed third place, leaving the Golden Eaglets at the bottom of the standings.
Nigeria’s Results
Tanzania 3-2 Nigeria
Australia 4-2 Nigeria
China 1-1 Nigeria
Final Standings
Tanzania – Champions
China
Australia
Nigeria
The results were disappointing, for the Golden Eaglets of Nigeria who are finding a way to restore their lost glory.
The invitational tournament provided valuable international exposure for the newly assembled Golden Eaglets as they continue preparations for future youth competitions, including the WAFU B U-17 Championship.
