Nigeria’s Flying Eagles have been handed a tough draw in the round of 16 games at the ongoing FIFA U-20 World Cup holding in Argentina.
Flying Eagles will take on hosts Argentina on Wednesday, May 31 at Estadio San Juan del Bicentenario by 6pm.
They were the best team outside the top two automatic qualifiers, but their impressive start at the World Cup has been rewarded by one of the toughest draws in the competition’s second round.
The pairing was confirmed after the Flying Eagles finished as one of the third-best-placed teams.
After opening their campaign with wins against Dominican Republic (2-1) and Italy (2-0), the Flying Eagles lost 2-0 to Brazil in their last Group D game on Saturday.
Argentina finished top in Group A with nine points from three games.
In their first game against Uzbekistan, Argentina won 2-1, beat Guatemala 3-0 before spanking New 5-0.
It will be the first time Nigeria and Argentina play each other at U20 level in a competitive game since the 2005 final, where Lionel Messi scored two penalties to seal off a 2-1 win over Flying Eagles.
Below is the FIFA U-20 Second Round fixtures
Tuesday, 30th May 2023
USA v New Zealand
Uzbekistan v Israel
Wednesday, 31st May 2023
Colombia v Slovakia
Brazil v Tunisia
Argentina v Nigeria
England v Italy
Thursday, 1st June 2023
Gambia v Uruguay
Ecuador v South Korea