Chelle’s Super Eagles AFCONQ squad: England lead as 13 countries supply Nigeria stars

Eric Chelle’s 24-man Super Eagles squad for Nigeria’s opening 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers is spread across 13 countries and 12 different leagues, Afrik-Foot reports.

The squad contains players from England, Italy, Turkey, Spain, Germany, France, Portugal, Scotland, Greece, the Netherlands, Austria, Saudi Arabia and South Africa. No player in the 24-man AFCON qualifying group currently plays in the Nigerian top flight.

Nigeria will host Madagascar in Uyo on September 25 before travelling to face Guinea-Bissau four days later. The club distribution shows where Chelle’s players are getting their weekly football before those two matches.

Super Eagles: England supply the most players

England is the largest source, with eight players in Chelle’s squad.

The Premier League accounts for six: Benjamin Fredricks (Brentford), Oluwasemilogo Ajayi (Hull City), Calvin Bassey (Fulham), Ola Aina (Nottingham Forest), Alex Iwobi (Fulham) and Frank Onyeka (Coventry City).

Ajayi is now playing in the Premier League with Hull after helping the club earn promotion, while Onyeka joined Coventry permanently after their Championship title-winning campaign.

The other two English-based players are Arthur Okonkwo at Charlton Athletic and Bright Osayi-Samuel at Birmingham City, both in the Championship. Okonkwo joined Charlton on a season-long loan from Wrexham in August.

Super Eagles: Italy and Turkey provide three each

Serie A supplies three players: Maduka Okoye of Udinese, Akor Adams of Venezia and Samuel Chukwueze of AC Milan.

Chukwueze returned to Milan after his 2025-26 loan at Fulham and has started the new Serie A season with two assists in four appearances.

Okoye is into his fourth season at Udinese while Adams left Sevilla for Venezia earlier this summer.

Turkey also has three representatives, all playing in the Süper Lig: Wilfred Ndidi at Beşiktaş, Victor Osimhen at Galatasaray and Chibuike Nwaiwu at Trabzonspor. Ndidi joined Beşiktaş from Leicester City last year, while Nwaiwu has started five league matches for Trabzonspor this season.

Super Eagles: Spain, Germany and France each supply one

Ademola Lookman is Nigeria’s sole representative in La Liga, having joined Atlético Madrid from Atalanta in 2026.

Raphael Onyedika is the only Super Eagles player in the Bundesliga after joining Eintracht Frankfurt from Club Brugge in August. He has started all four of Frankfurt’s league matches so far.

Moses Simon represents Ligue 1 with Paris FC. The winger joined the club from Nantes in 2025 and has already brought extensive French top-flight experience to the team.

Portugal, Scotland, Greece and the Netherlands

Portugal contributes Isaac James, who plays for Alverca in the Primeira Liga. The 22-year-old has started all six league matches this season and has two assists.

Emmanuel Fernandez is Nigeria’s only player in Scotland, playing centre-back for Rangers. The defender broke into the Rangers first team during the 2025-26 season and subsequently earned Nigeria recognition.

Bruno Onyemaechi represents Greece with Olympiacos, while Tolu Arokodare is playing in the Netherlands after joining Ajax on loan from Wolverhampton Wanderers.

Super Eagles: Austria, Saudi Arabia and South Africa complete the list

Moses Usor is the only Nigerian in the Austrian Bundesliga, where he plays for LASK. He has two goals and three assists in six league appearances this season.

George Ilenikhena is Nigeria’s sole representative in the Saudi Pro League after joining Al-Ittihad from Monaco in February 2026.

Stanley Nwabali completes the geographical spread at Chippa United in South Africa. He returned to the club in July after leaving five months earlier.

Super Eagles: The full breakdown

Country	League	Players	Total
England	Premier League	Fredricks, Ajayi, Bassey, Aina, Iwobi, Onyeka	6
	Championship	Okonkwo, Osayi-Samuel	2
Italy	Serie A	Okoye, Adams, Chukwueze	3
Turkey	Süper Lig	Ndidi, Osimhen, Nwaiwu	3
Spain	La Liga	Lookman	1
Germany	Bundesliga	Onyedika	1
France	Ligue 1	Simon	1
Portugal	Primeira Liga	Isaac James	1
Scotland	Scottish Premiership	Fernandez	1
Greece	Super League	Onyemaechi	1
Netherlands	Eredivisie	Arokodare	1
Austria	Bundesliga	Usor	1
Saudi Arabia	Saudi Pro League	Ilenikhena	1
South Africa	Betway Premiership	Nwabali	1
🇳🇬 Total — 13 countries, 14 leagues			24