The Gambia will be making their first-ever appearance at the FIFA U-20 World Cup when they travel to Canada this July. A semi-final place at the recent CAF African Youth Championship in Congo saw Gambia earned a chance to put their unheralded side on the world stage, and the coach and players alike are determined to vie for the world title currently held by Argentina.

The Gambian born coach, Peter Bonu Johnson, who was a tough-as-nails international defender back in his playing days, has taken up the responsibility of transforming his hopeful band into an organised and competitive force. Bonu has already named 22 players in his squad and will release his final list of 21 players to the FIFA by June 20.
The team which is currently on a stand-by will spend from 12 to 26 June at their training camp in the United States, before heading to Canada for the record-breaking championship.

During the summer's event, the Baby Scorpions will have their work cut out in Group C, where they will face Portugal, Mexico and New Zealand. The first two teams would seem to be the logical favourites. Portugal, title winners in 1989 and 1991, return after a seven-year absence, while Mexico was crowned champions at the U-17 World Cup in Peru in 2005.

“We will go all out to give a respectable performance. Our first objective in Canada is to qualify for the second-round and I am optimistic that this dream will be realised,” Bonu told Observer Sports on Sunday.