Super Eagles: 7 surprises hidden inside Eric Chelle’s 24-man AFCON squad

Eric Chelle has named a 24-man Super Eagles squad for Nigeria’s opening Africa Cup of Nations 2027 qualifiers against Madagascar and Guinea-Bissau, Afrik-Foot reports.

The list contains familiar names such as Victor Osimhen, Ademola Lookman, Alex Iwobi and Wilfred Ndidi, but there is much more to it than the headline stars.

Nigeria will host Madagascar at the Godswill Akpabio International Stadium in Uyo on Friday, September 25, before travelling for the meeting with Guinea-Bissau on Tuesday. The two matches are separated by only four days, making squad depth and player versatility important factors for Chelle.

Osimhen’s inclusion is one of the major talking points because the Galatasaray striker suffered a right adductor injury against Istanbul Basaksehir on September 4 and has missed matches since then. Galatasaray confirmed that he had muscle strain and pain in the right groin area after the game.

Behind that decision are several other clues about Chelle’s thinking, including three new senior invitations, the return of Stanley Nwabali, a young defensive group, a small midfield pool and a forward line packed with options. Here are seven details that could tell us more about Nigeria’s plans.

Osimhen’s Super Eagles surprise: Chelle picked an injured striker

Osimhen was injured during Galatasaray’s 3-2 victory away to Basaksehir on September 4. He scored in the 16th minute before being withdrawn, with Galatasaray later confirming a problem in his right adductor muscle.

The striker subsequently missed matches for Galatasaray, creating serious doubts about his availability for Nigeria’s opening AFCON qualifiers.

Chelle still put his name on the 24-man list, giving the Super Eagles medical and coaching staff an opportunity to assess him during the international window.

His selection does not mean he is guaranteed to start against Madagascar. Tolu Arokodare, Akor Adams and 20-year-old George Ilenikhena are also in the squad, giving Chelle alternatives if Osimhen cannot play.

The decision also protects Nigeria from making a late change without first seeing how Osimhen responds to treatment and training.

Three players are getting their first Super Eagles invitation

Chelle has opened the door to a new generation with first senior invitations for Isaac James, George Ilenikhena and Moses Usor.

James, 22, has been a regular at Portuguese club Alverca. He has played six league matches this season, completing 514 minutes and supplying two assists.

Ilenikhena, 20, arrives in camp after a productive start at Al-Ittihad. He has scored four goals and supplied two assists in 323 league minutes across six appearances in the Saudi Pro League this season.

Usor, 24, gives Chelle another attacking option after an excellent start to the campaign with LASK. He has scored twice and provided three assists in the Austrian Bundesliga, while also scoring and assisting in LASK’s 5-1 Champions League qualifying win over Celtic on August 25.

The three players therefore arrive with different profiles. James offers a fresh option on the left side of defence, Ilenikhena provides another young centre-forward and Usor adds an attacker capable of operating in more than one role.

Nwabali is back, but the Super Eagles goalkeeper battle has changed

Stanley Nwabali returns to the Super Eagles after missing recent assignments, putting him back into a three-man goalkeeping group with Maduka Okoye and Arthur Okonkwo.

Nwabali enters the squad with strong tournament memories. At the 2025 AFCON in Morocco, he saved penalties from Mohamed Salah and Omar Marmoush as Nigeria defeated Egypt 4-2 in the shootout to win the bronze medal.

His club form has also given him regular football. Nwabali has started all six of Chippa United’s league matches this season and has a 79.3 per cent save rate in the South African Premiership.

Okoye has started Udinese’s first three Serie A matches and has made 12 saves from 17 shots on target, while Okonkwo has played six Championship matches for Charlton Athletic with a 76.9 per cent save rate.

Chelle therefore has three goalkeepers playing regularly at club level, but the selection against Madagascar could still become one of the first major decisions of the new qualifying campaign.

The squad is young, but this is not a youth revolution

Chelle has mixed young players with an established core rather than replacing experience with youth.

Ilenikhena is the youngest member of the 24-man group at 20, while Oluwasemilogo Ajayi is the oldest at 32. Isaac James, Benjamin Fredricks and Chibuike Nwaiwu also give the defence a younger profile, while Osimhen, Lookman, Ndidi, Iwobi and Moses Simon provide experience in the other areas.

The structure is particularly noticeable in defence. James is 22, Fredricks is 22 and Nwaiwu is 23, while Ajayi provides a much older option alongside them.

Chelle has therefore avoided a complete overhaul. He has kept several players who have carried major responsibilities for Nigeria while introducing younger alternatives who can compete for places.

The approach gives the coach room to build towards the future without removing the players already familiar with his system.

The names missing from the Super Eagles squad tell another story

The omissions cannot all be placed in the same category because fitness has played a role alongside selection.

Alhassan Yusuf is out after New England Revolution confirmed that he is expected to miss at least six weeks with an injury suffered against New York City FC on September 9.

Tochukwu Nnadi is also unavailable after suffering a knee injury with Marseille. He opted against immediate surgery as he seeks a quicker return, although his recovery could extend beyond the international break.

Fisayo Dele-Bashiru has been recovering from a thigh problem that kept him out after Lazio’s early-season matches.

Paul Onuachu presents a different case. The Trabzonspor striker suffered an injury scare after scoring twice against Genclerbirligi, but later returned to training. He still did not make the AFCON qualifying squad.

Gift Orban and Rafiu Durosinmi also miss the 24-man list despite attracting attention with their club performances, while Kelechi Iheanacho has instead been selected for Chelle’s separate squad for the October 6 friendly against Russia.

The omissions therefore show two different forces at work: some players have lost places through competition, while others have been affected by injuries or a separate assignment.

Chelle has built a squad with hidden positional flexibility

The squad contains several players who can cover more than one position, a useful feature with Nigeria playing two qualifiers within four days.

Ola Aina can operate at right-back, left-back and right midfield, while Calvin Bassey is comfortable at centre-back and left-back.

Lookman also gives Chelle options beyond the left wing. The Atletico Madrid attacker can also deliver a decent job at right wing, attacking midfield and second striker, allowing him to move closer to Osimhen or play from either side.

Usor provides another flexible attacking option. He has played as a striker and attacking midfielder, while his recent performances for LASK have come mainly in forward roles.

Iwobi can also operate across midfield and attacking areas, giving Chelle another player capable of changing his position without making a substitution.

The value of that flexibility could become clearer against Madagascar and Guinea-Bissau because the second match arrives only four days after the first.

One position has surprisingly little depth

The midfield is the smallest specialist group in Chelle’s 24-man squad.

Ndidi, Iwobi, Frank Onyeka and Raphael Onyedika are the only four central midfielders invited for the crucial games. By comparison, the forward line contains eight players, including Osimhen, Lookman, Chukwueze, Moses Simon, Arokodare, Adams, Ilenikhena and Usor.

That leaves little room for injuries, suspensions or fatigue in the middle of the pitch.

Iwobi offers an attacking alternative, while some of the wider players can move into different areas, but Chelle has still chosen to keep the specialist midfield group small.

The decision becomes more interesting because Nnadi, Yusuf and Dele-Bashiru are among the midfielders unavailable through injury, reducing the number of established options he could have considered.

Nigeria therefore has a forward group of eight but only four specialist midfielders for the opening two AFCON qualifiers.

What the Super Eagles squad really tells us

Chelle’s selection points towards a Super Eagles side that is changing without breaking away from its established core.

The coach has introduced James, Ilenikhena and Usor while keeping Osimhen, Lookman, Iwobi, Ndidi and other regulars at the centre of the squad.

The list also gives Chelle tactical flexibility, particularly in defence and attack, while injuries have forced him to look beyond some familiar midfield options.

The first real clue will come at the Godswill Akpabio International Stadium on September 25, when Nigeria begin their AFCON 2027 qualifying campaign against Madagascar.