Super Eagles AFCONQ squad 2026: How young is Eric Chelle’s Nigeria team?

Eric Chelle’s 24-man Super Eagles squad for the opening 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers contains a clear mix of established stars and younger players, Afrik-Foot reports.

Three players are 22 or younger, while nine are 25 or younger. At the other end, four players are aged 30 or above.

Nigeria will face Madagascar in Uyo on September 25 before travelling to Guinea-Bissau four days later. The squad includes first-time senior call-ups Isaac James, George Ilenikhena and Moses Usor, alongside established names such as Victor Osimhen, Ademola Lookman and Wilfred Ndidi.

Super Eagles: The numbers behind Chelle’s squad

The average age is 26.46 years. George Ilenikhena, at 20, is the youngest player. Benjamin Fredricks is 21, while Isaac James is 22.

Nine players are aged 25 or younger, accounting for more than a third of the squad.

At the other end, Oluwasemilogo Ajayi is the oldest at 32. Moses Simon is 31, while Stanley Nwabali and Alex Iwobi are both 30. The squad therefore has four players aged 30 or older.

The age spread also shows that Chelle has not abandoned experience. Osimhen is 27, Lookman 28, and Ndidi 29, giving the group an established core around which the younger players can develop.

Which position is youngest?

The defence has the lowest average age at 25.9 years. That group includes 21-year-old Fredricks, 22-year-old James and 23-year-old Chibuike Nwaiwu, alongside more experienced players such as Ajayi, Aina and Bright Osayi-Samuel.

The eight forwards average 26 years, helped by Ilenikhena’s age of 20 and Tolu Arokodare’s 25.

The three goalkeepers average 27.3 years, while the four-man midfield is the oldest group at 28 years. That midfield figure is driven by Ndidi, 29, Iwobi, 30 and Frank Onyeka, 28, with Raphael Onyedika the youngest at 25.

Is this really a generation change?

The numbers suggest a gradual change rather than a major rebuild. Nigeria’s 28-man AFCON 2025 squad had an average age of 26.75 years when the tournament started in December. The 2023 AFCON squad averaged 26.52.

Chelle’s current 26.46 figure is only slightly lower. The difference is more visible in the names entering the group.

Ilenikhena, Fredricks, James and Nwaiwu are all under 24, while Usor is 24 and Arokodare is 25. At the same time, Osimhen, Lookman, Chukwueze, Ndidi, Iwobi and Simon continue to provide experience.

Chelle is therefore changing the squad without removing its established core.

The clearest sign is the balance between the youngest and oldest players. Ilenikhena is 20, but Ajayi is still 32. The defence has gained young options, while the midfield remains built around experienced internationals.

The September qualifiers will show how much responsibility Chelle is ready to give the younger group.

The squad is not a young Super Eagles team yet. It is a team in transition, with the next generation starting to take up more space alongside Nigeria’s established stars.