The national U-20 male team, Flying Eagles, left the country on Thursday night, aboard British Airways flight through London, 24 hours after they were earlier scheduled to leave for the North American country of Canada for this year's FIFA World Youth Championship.

World football-governing body FIFA could not secure seats for the delegation on the London - Vancouver leg for Wednesday night, but has been able to do that and a 33-man team will fly out of Lagos minutes before midnight on Thursday.

The contingent will spend nine hours on transit in London before boarding an Air Canada flight to Vancouver, from where they will travel to nearby Victoria, where the Flying Eagles play their Group F games against Japan, Costa Rica and Scotland. 

Nigeria is a powerhouse in youth football at international level with silver medals in the WYC in 1989 and 2005, and bronze in 1985. Coach Samson Siasia, who won a bronze in 1985, led the Class of 2005 to silver after a controversial defeat by Argentina.

Nigeria's final squad:

Goalkeepers: Olufemi Thomas, Moses Ocheje and Ikechukwu Ezenwa

Defenders: Suraj Sodiq, Uwa Echiejile, Oladapo Olufemi, Adeniyi Ayodeji, Ambrose Efe, Robert Egbeta, Akeem Latifu, Nazifi Inuwa and Kingsley Salami

Midfielders: Nduka Ozokwo, Solomon Owello, Blessing Okardi, Moses Adams and Chukwuma Akabueze

Strikers: Akeem Agbetu, Brown Ideye, Bello Kofarmata and Ezekiel Bala.