As the FIFA Under-20 World Cup begins today in Cairo Egypt, Nigeria's Flying Eagles will lead African teams to challenge for the top prize in one of the world biggest soccer show.

The FIFA U-20 World Cup is one of three major events being staged on the continent in the build-up to next year's World Cup slated for South Africa. Nigeria will also host the FIFA U-17 World Cup.

No doubt, the African continent which is yet to win the trophy would strive to get hold of the trophy in a tournament which is being held for the second time in the continent, after the maiden edition in Tunisia in 1977.

The FIFA U-20 World Cup is the only under-age men's global championship that an African team is yet to lay its hands on as winners despite coming close on a number of occasions. Despite successes in the FIFA U-17 World Cup and the Olympics, African teams are yet transcend that performance to the U-20 division, a competition famed for South American dominance.

The Flying Eagles under the tutelage of Coach Samson Siasia have lost in the final of the championship twice in 1989 against Portugal in Saudi Arabia and to Argentina at the 2005 edition held in Netherlands.

The other country from the continent to have come close to lifting the trophy is Ghana who like Nigeria has also lost twice in the final in 1993 and 2001, thereby extending the continent's misery in the competition.

This explains why the continent's hope of the first U-20 World Cup trophy will rest on the shoulders of the Samson Siasia-led Flying Eagles.

Other countries carrying the continent's banner at the biennial soccer fiesta are hosts Egypt, continental champions, Ghana, Cameroon and South Africa. They will be all out to break the 32-year jinx engulfing the biennial championship as far as African teams are concerned.

Also, this is the third time after Nigeria 99 that the youth showpiece event is being staged on African soil. Mali's bronze feat in 1999 serves the brightest spot as no African team made it to the last four in 1977 in Tunisia.

After the CAF U-20 Championship in Rwanda early January which produced the continent's representatives for the global championship, all five teams: Egypt, Ghana, Nigeria, Cameroon and South Africa have been engaged in fervent preparations in their quest for the ultimate.

While the Flying Eagles spent the last two weeks in Mallorca Spain preparing and acclimatizing in readiness for the tournament.

The Flying Eagles are drawn in Group B alongside Spain, Tahiti and Venezuela. Former Super Eagles midfielder Samson Siasia, who guided the Flying Eagles to a runners-up spot in the Netherlands in 2005, has been charged with the responsibility of leading the 'Flying Eagles' to the promise land in Egypt.

Siasia took over from Ladan Bosso after the continental championship and the latter is brimming with confidence after training camps in Qatar and Spain. The Ex-international star has named balanced team of local and foreign-based stars, and has conspicuously left out some members of the Golden Eaglets squad that won the FIFA U-17 World Cup in Korea two years ago. Amongst them are striker Rabiu Ibrahim and Lukman Haruna.

"We have confidence and we have the players to do us proud. The training camps in Qatar and Spain have helped the team greatly and we are heading to Egypt believing we can conquer," Siasia told the media before departing for Egypt.

This is Nigeria's eighth appearance at the championship and expectations back home and across the continent are high from the likes of Captain Odion Ighalo, Haruna Lukman, Rabiu Ibrahim, Sone Aluko and Yakubu Alfa to go the extra mile.

Hosts Egypt are drawn in Group A alongside Italy, Paraguay, and Trinidad and Tobago. The Junior Pharaohs begin their campaign against the Caribbean Islanders in the opening match today at the Borg El Arab Stadium in Alexandria.

Head coach Miroslav Soukup and his charges have been engaged in series of preparations as they seek an improvement of their bronze feat in Argentina in 2001. The Junior Pharaohs are making their fifth appearance at the biennial championship and the bringing on board of Soukoup, who guided his native Czech Republic to silver at the last edition in Canada two years ago confirms their readiness to rule the world.

After a least expected performance at the continental championship, where they failed to progress past the group phase, Coach Soukoup and his deputy, Ex-national star, Hany Ramzy has led the team to training tours in Europe coupled with participation in invitational tourneys to fine-tune their preparations.

Matches against Korea Republic, Czech Republic, Spain and Australia, training camp Germany and an appearance at the Toulon Tournament in France is considered a great form of preparation for the likes of Shihab Ahmed, Moustafa Salim, Saad Eddin Samir and Mohamed Taalat as they seek for the ultimate.

Runners-up at the continental championship, Cameroon are housed in Group C together with USA, Germany and Korea Republic. Not much has been heard of Coach Alain Wabo's team but for a training camp in Germany few months ago ahead of the global tourney.

Cameroon, gold medallists at the Sydney Olympic Games in 2000, has yet to establish themselves as a powerhouse at the biennial championship. Of four previous appearances in 1981, 1993, 1995 and 1999; a quarter-final berth in 1995 marks their biggest feat.

Thirty-eight year old Wabo, creator of the ant-attack system will be relying on the likes of Brice Owono of Cotonsport Garoua, Parfait Essengue of Italian side Piacenza, Jacques Zoua among others to scale past the preliminary hurdle into the medal zone.

African champions, Ghana's Black Satellites are ranked high and have been tipped to go far. The Satellites making their fifth appearance are in Group D with England, Uruguay and Uzbekistan.

The Satellites, twice runners-up in 1993 and 2001 have endured a bittersweet form of preparation for the tournament. Two weeks camping at the Aspire Sports Academy in Qatar and seven-day acclimatization in Tunisia climaxed their preparations, which saw most of the selected players unavailable.

The team is led by Andre Ayew, son of Ghana legend Abedi Pele and is under the technical guidance of Sellas Tetteh, who guided the Black Starlets to fourth place at the last U-17 Championship in Korea. Products of the juvenile team namely Abeiku Quansah, Joseph Addo, Philip Boampong, Daniel Opare and Ransford Osei are all part of the team opens their campaign against little known Uzbekistan.

After an eight-year absence, Tetteh is hoping to lead his young team to the ultimate backed by his experience with the national team, where he deputized for more than four years.

"For eight years we have not been to the U-20 World Cup so to return as champions of Africa is remarkable. It's gratifying to me that we're not just winning but also doing so by playing beautiful football," said Tetteh.

The continent's final representative is the Amajita's of South Africa. If the level of pre-tournament preparation was the deciding factor, no African team comes near the Amajitas. The South African have toured West Africa, South America as well as Europe in fining tune their preparations.
Coach Serame Letsoaka's boys are perched in Group alongside Hungary, United Arab Emirates and Honduras as they make their first appearance at the youth championship since 1997.

Letsoaka, who assumes the Technical Directorship of South African Football Association (SAFA) after the tournament remains optimistic about the abilities of his team that placed fourth at the continental championship.

"We are a good side and I don't doubt that. It's always good when we go to these tournaments as underdogs because we can therefore surprise people. In our team, we have exciting players and they will show the rest of the world what they are capable of."

Meanwhile, the tournament that pieces together the best youth teams around the world ends on Friday, October 16.