DETERMINED to see that Nigeria hosts and wins the FIFA U-17 World Cup, the Abuja sub-seat of the Local Organising Committee (LOC) is planning an eight-nation tournament as part of the Golden Eaglet's preparation for the upcoming youth championship, which comes up in October.

Briefing journalists yesterday in Abuja, media officer of the sub-seat, Tunde Aderibigbe, said the tourney would be used to expose the Eaglets to some of the teams that would feature in the championship before real hostilities begin on October 24. The tourney, slated for September 27 to October 11 at the Abuja National Stadium, he revealed, will feature the national U-17 teams of Nigeria, Brazil, United Arab Emirates, the Netherlands, Gambia, Spain, South Korea and the United States (U.S.).

Aderibigbe noted that the LOC was not only interested in hosting the championship, but hosting to win, hence it was packaging the tournament to test the Eaglets against some of the favourite teams in the event before its commencement. He said: "We want to prepare our team very well to face the battle in October, hence we were able to come to this noble agreement to contribute to the success of the National U-17 team in the championship."

According to Aderibigbe, all the countries involved have signified their intention to be part of the tournament and participating teams were carefully chosen to ensure that none in the same group with the Eaglets was invited.