“Thanks to the Almighty God who has blessed us with success in the championship. We fought hard to maintain our title as a defending champion in the continent.

“In the last world cup, we finished in 17th position, and this year we want to make a difference. So, if we have a better preparation now, we will get better results.

“We  need good  preparation. If you are going to the World Cup, you don’t stay in camp for a month or two, but for a minimum of  four to five months in camp in order to have a good performance in the competition,” he said.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) recalls that the Nigerian under-19 boys won all their games in the championship.

They defeated Cameroon 3-2 in the first game, Gambia 3-1 in their second game, and Morocco 3-0 in their last game on Monday.

NAN reports that Nigeria finished first at the championship, while Cameroon took second position and Gambia finished third.

Nigeria and Cameroon have now secured tickets for the World Cup in Iran. (NAN)