Sevilla striker Jerome Akor, Cyriel Dessers of Scottish giants Rangers as well as Nathan Tella from Bayer Lverkusen have been included on a provisional squad for the Super Eagles must-win 2026 World Cup qualifiers against Rwanda and Zimbabwe later this month.
Roster for #2026WCQ vs Rwanda and Zimbabwe #SoarSuperEagles pic.twitter.com/rljpOZkyyd
— 🇳🇬 Super Eagles (@NGSuperEagles) March 4, 2025
This will be the first matches of new coach Eric Chelle.
Chelle has retained the core of the team who qualified Nigeria to the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations in November.
Goalkeeper Stanley Nwabali, defenders William Ekong, Calvin Bassey and Olaoluwa Aina, midfielders Alex Iwobi and Wilfred Ndidi, and forwards Ademola Lookman, Victor Osimhen and Simon Moses made this provisional list of 39 players.
There are also goalkeeper Maduka Okoye, defenders Bruno Onyemaechi and Zaidu Sanusi, midfielders Frank Onyeka and Fisayo Dele-Bashiru, and forwards Ahmed Musa, Samuel Chukwueze and Sadiq Umar.
Defenders Igoh Ogbu and Ifeanyi Onyebuchi, midfielders Anthony Dennis, Chrisantus Uche and Papa Daniel Mustapha, and forwards Tolu Arokodare and Jerome Akor Adams are named for the first time ever, while there could be returns for home-based goalkeeper Kayode Bankole, defender Jordan Torunarigha, midfielder Joseph Ayodele-Aribo and forwards Cyriel Dessers and Nathan Tella, if they eventually make the final list of 23.
Nigeria, fifth in Group C behind Rwanda, South Africa, Benin Republic and Lesotho, square up to leaders Amavubi of Rwanda in Kigali on Friday, 21st March before taking on Zimbabwe’s Warriors at the Godswill Akpabio Stadium, Uyo four days later.
NIGERIA’S PROVISIONAL LIST OF 39 PLAYERS FOR RWANDA, ZIMBABWE
Goalkeepers: Stanley Nwabali (Chippa United, South Africa); Maduka Okoye (Udinese FC, Italy); Amas Obasogie (Singida Blackstars, Tanzania); Adeleye Adebayo (Enosis Paralimni, Cyprus); Kayode Bankole (Remo Stars)
Defenders: William Ekong (Al-Kholood FC, Saudi Arabia); Bright Osayi-Samuel (Fenerbahce SK, Turkey); Bruno Onyemaechi (Olympiacos FC, Greece); Gabriel Osho (AJ Auxerre, France); Calvin Bassey (Fulham FC, England); Olaoluwa Aina (Nottingham Forest, England); Zaidu Sanusi (FC Porto, Portugal); Igoh Ogbu (SK Slavia Prague, Czech Republic); Jordan Torunarigha (Gent FC, Belgium); Ifeanyi Onyebuchi (Rangers International)
Midfielders: Wilfred Ndidi (Leicester City, England); Raphael Onyedika (Club Brugge, Belgium); Alhassan Yusuf Abdullahi (New England Revolution, USA); Fisayo Dele-Bashiru (Lazio FC, Italy); Frank Onyeka (Augsburg FC, Germany); Alex Iwobi (Fulham FC, England); Joseph Ayodele-Aribo (Southampton FC, England); Anthony Dennis (Goztepe SK, Turkey); Chrisantus Uche (Getafe CF, Spain); Papa Daniel Mustapha (Niger Tornadoes)
Forwards: Samuel Chukwueze (AC Milan, Italy); Victor Osimhen (Galatasaray FC, Turkey); Ademola Lookman (Atalanta FC, Italy); Kelechi Iheanacho (Middlesbrough FC, England); Victor Boniface (Bayer Leverkusen, Germany); Simon Moses (FC Nantes, France); Sadiq Umar (Valencia FC, Spain); Nathan Tella (Bayer Leverkusen, Germany); Cyriel Dessers (Glasgow Rangers, Scotland); Tolu Arokodare (KRC Genk, Belgium); Chidera Ejuke (Sevilla FC, Spain); Paul Onuachu (Southampton FC, England); Ahmed Musa (Kano Pillars); Jerome Akor Adams (Sevilla FC, Spain)
MY MAJOR CONCERN IS THAT, IF TRULY THAT ERIC CHELLE WANT TO SUCCEED WITH SUPER EAGLE & QUALIFY NIGERIA FOR WORLD CUP. HE SHOULD JUST INVITE PLAYERS BASE ON QUALITY, POTENTIAL, FITNESS & PRESENT FORM, MERIT WITHOUT SENTIMENT
HE SHOULD NOT INVITE PLAYERS BASED ON USELESS EXPERIENCE/LEADERSHIP/CAPTAISHIP, MENTORSHIP, AGING, EGO, RECORD OR PAST FORM.
AND WITH ALL THIS YARDSTICKS, THE LIKE OF THIS PLAYERS: IHEANACHO, ONUACHU, AWONIYI, BONIFACE(Boni-yeye), BALOGUN, OMERUO, IZOHO, ARIBO DIDN’T DESERVED TO INVITED FOR CRUCIAL WORLD CUP QUALIFIERS.
** ONUACHU HAS FAILED WOEFULLY IN SUPER EAGLE UNDER FOUR DIFFERENT COACHES (ROHR, Equavoen, Paseiro, Finidi) because he cannot adjust to playing style of super eagle.
** ARIBO IS A SLUGGISH PLAYER, HE CANNOT PLAY AFRICA FOOTBALL.
** BONIFACE HAVE BEEN GIVEN ENOUGH CHANCES TO PROVE HIMSELF AS AN EITHER ALTERNATIVE OR MAIN STRIKER ON THE FIELD OF PLAY, BUT HE FAILED TO EVEN SHOW HIS STUFF (i.e quality) TALKLESS OF SCORING GOALS.
** IHEANACHO, MUSA AWONIYI, BALOGUN, OMERUO ARE JUST HANGING AROUND JUST IN THE NAME OF EXPERIENCE, LEADERSHIP, CAPTAINSHIP, MENTORSHIP.
### ERIC CHELLE SHOULD GIVE OTHER WELL MATURED, EXPOSED, QUALITY WITH GREAT POTENTIAL PLAYERS CHANCES TO SHOWCASE THEIR STUFF.
@@@@ OLISA-NDAH, AKPOM, DESSERS, AKPOGUMA, GIFT-ORBAN, EJUKE, NWAKALI, ALHASSAN, AKODARE, TELLA, ARE ALL WELL MATURED, EXPOSED, QUALITY WITH GREAT POTENTIAL PLAYERS.
### NIGERIA SHOULD STOP DECEIVING THEMSELVES WITH WORD EXPERIENCE, MENTORSHIP, CAPTAINSHIP ! ! ! ! ! ! !
ERIC CHELLE SHOULD NOT BE DECEIVED & CARRIED AWAY ON THINKING OF MAKING ONUACHU TO PARTNER WITH OSIMHEN AT THE ATTACKING POSITION. PAUL ONUACHU IS A CLUB-SIDE GOALSCORER DECIEVER. HIS STYLE OF PLAY NEVER MARCH WITH SUPER EAGLE. HE HAS NEVER PLAY WELL IN ANY OF THE MATCHES HE PLAYED FOR THE SUPER EAGLE.
** UNDER GERNOT ROHR, EQUAVOEN , PASEIRO, FINIDI, HE ALL FLOPPED.
CHUKWUEZE, MUSA, LOOKMAN, SIMON PLAYED WELL WITH OSIMHEN AT THE FRONT, AND THEY ALL SUCCEEDED.
#### OSIMHEN NEEDS AGGRESSIVE & SPEEDY PLAYER TO PARTNER WITH.
** THE POTENTIAL & QUALITY OF PLAY OF GIFT-ORBAN , CRIEL DESSERS, MOFFI, AKPOM, AKOR, AKODARE WILL SUIT OSIMHEN PARTNERSHIP. AND ALSO FAR FAR BETTER THAN PAUL ONUACHU, IHEANACHO, SADIQ UMAR, AWONIYI.
ERIC CHELLE BE WATCHFUL ooooooooo ! ! ! ! ! ! ! !
TO ME, WE DON’T NEED AN OLD SENIOR/EXPERIENCE PLAYERS THAT WILL SERVE AS BROTHERHOOD/MENTORSHIP TO PLAYERS IN THE TEAM.
WE WHAT WE NEED IS AN OLD SENIOR EXPERIENCE PLAYERS THAT CAN BE FIT TO PLAY 90 MINUTES ACTION ON THE FIELD OF PLAY, SHOWS CHARACTER & PROVE A POINT.
*** WE ALWAYS LIKE TO BE DECEIVING OURSELVES IN THIS COUNTRY WITH THE ISSUE OF OLD EXPERIENCE PLAYERS IN THE TEAM.
FOR INSTANCE : I am an experience engineer, but iam not fit, then tell me “what am I going to do on the field?”
IN AFCON 2019, MIKEL, BALOGUN WERE SELECTED AMONG THE PLAYERS TO THE COMPETITION AS AN EXPERIENCE OLD/SENIOR PLAYERS, BUT THEY WERE NOT FIT. AT THE END, BOTH OF THEM WERE FLOPPED WHILE GIVING CHANCE TO PLAY AGAINST MADAGASCAR BY LOSING 3-0.
OR IS IT AN EXPERIENCE OF MIKEL, BALOGUN THAT MAKE SUPER EAGLE REACH THE FINAL OF AFCON 2023.
#### IHEANACHO, SADIQ, AWONIYI, BALOGUN, OMERUO, ONUACHU SHOULD BE DROP OUT OF THE TEAM & GIVE CHANCES FOR BETTER PERFORMING PLAYERS AT THE MOMENT LIKE: AKPOM, DESSERS, ORBAN, OSHO, AKPOGUMA, OLISA-NDAH, EJUKE.
** THERE MUST BE A REWARD OF INVITATION FOR PLAYERS THAT ARE PERFORMING CREDIBLY WELL AT THE MOMENT.
WHEN YOU KNOW THAT YOU ARE NOT FIT, LET STOP DECEIVING OURSELVES THAT “EXPERIENCE COUNT” This is an EUROPEAN/AMERICAN language. It doesn’t work in Africa (most especially in Nigeria).
IF EXPERIENCE COUNT, DOES TROOST-EKONG, OSIMHEN BE PLAY AHEAD OF OMERUO, ONUACHU.
OR IZOHO, OMERUO, ONUACHU ARE THEY NOT A SENIOR PLAYERS AHEAD OF NWABALI, TROOST-EKONG, OSIMHEN. WHY THEIR EXPERIENCE DIDN’T COUNT ON THE FIELD OF PLAY AHEAD OF YOUNGER PLAYERS.
***** OR WHEN OBJ, PMB became President two or three times again, did their experience count for the nation???? INSTEAD, it is another EIGHT YEARS OF HECTIC SUFFERNESS.
THEY LOOTED , DISTABLISED NIGERIA ECONOMY & TURNED NIGERIA UPSIDE DOWN, LEADING TO EVERLASTING SUFFERNESS TILL WHAT NIGERIA ARE EXPERIENCING NOW (( to the extent that EMILOKAN TURN TO EBI LOKAN))
EVEN IN LAST WORLD CUP IN 2023 IN QATAR, WHEN BENZEMA & AGUERO WERE NOT FIT, THEY WERE DROPPED OUT OF THE TEAM
FROM THEIR RESPECTIVE COUNTRIES. AND BOTH COUNTRIES DID CREDIBLY WELL WITHOUT THEM. BUT IF IT IS NIGERIA, THEY WILL TAKE THEM ALONG TO THE COMPETITION AND SAY BENZEMA WILL BE GIVING ADVICE TO MBAPPE, OR AGUERO WILL BE MENTORING LAUTARO MARTINEZ, MARTINELLI.