3 reasons why Nigeria could be the surprise package of the 2022 FIFA World Cup 

#2 The country has a lot of young players blossoming in mainstream Europe

Iwobi is flying the Nigerian flag with Everton

Nigeria has always produced world-beaters from a young age and this is evident in the fact that the country is the record-winner of the FIFA Under-17 World Cup. The craze for football in the country sees young boys playing football in the street and honing their talents from an early age and this translates onto the professional scene, with players from Nigeria able to hold their own anywhere in the world.

On the current stage, several young Nigerian players are lighting up Europe and the rest of the world with their displays. Victor Osimhen has blossomed into one of the hottest strikers in the world, with his displays for Lille leading to interest from top-tier clubs including Chelsea and Tottenham. Samuel Chukwueze has continued with his development at Villarreal and is one of the standout young players in the world, while Joe Aribo has been the driving force from midfield for Steven Gerrard's transformation at Rangers.

Other young Nigerian players like Alex Iwobi (Everton), Wilfred Ndidi (Leicester City), Dennis Emmanuel (Club Brugge), Ovie Ejaria (Reading), Eberechi Eze (QPR) and Josh Maja (Bordeaux) among others are all lighting up Europe with their displays.

All the aforementioned footballers are just a handful of players under the age of 23 who are strutting their stuff and flying the Nigerian flag with pride. Most of them would have matured into better and more complete footballers by the time the 2022 World Cup comes around and they would play a key role in Nigeria doing well at the tournament.