Football's world governing body, Fifa, says that preparations are now on track for the Under-17 World Cup, which begins in Nigeria on 24 October.

In June Fifa issued an ultimatum that the tournament would be taken away from Nigeria unless a government guarantee was made that the venues would be ready. Government support was pledged, and following a final venue inspection tour, Fifa vice-president Jack Warner told the BBC that Nigeria has made significant progress since his last visit.

"I'm very happy with what I've seen up to this point in time, I believe Nigeria is on track," said Warner, who is also the chairman of the Under-17 World Cup's organising committee.  "I've gone all over the country with my Fifa delegation, and everything that we have seen and the decisions we have taken relative to the eight venues has made me very optimistic that Nigeria is ready."

The cities that will host matches are Abuja, Bauchi, Calabar, Enugu, Ijebu-Ode, Kaduna, Kano and Lagos.