Super Eagles: Five notable absentees from Eric Chelle’s Unity Cup and June friendlies squads

The official squad list for Nigeria’s senior national team, the Super Eagles, has been unveiled ahead of the 2026 Unity Cup in London and the subsequent June international friendlies. 

The four-nation tournament that is set to take place in the English capital, will feature Nigeria Jamaica, Zimbabwe, and India. As the defending champions, the Super Eagles will be looking to retain their crown while fine-tuning preparations for upcoming competitive fixtures.

As usual, Chelle’s squad announcement has generated debate among fans due to the absence of some high-profile names. In this article, Afrik-foot names five notable names that are missing from the Unity Cup squad.

Your #SuperEagles squads for the #2026UnityCup and June Friendlies 📋 pic.twitter.com/akoS3NlCoB

— 🇳🇬 Super Eagles (@NGSuperEagles) May 20, 2026

Taiwo Awoniyi

Many fans would have hoped that the Ilorin-born forward would be able to find a spot in the Unity squad following his recent performances for Nottingham Forest, but that is not the case. Awoniyi has been involved in three goals in his last five game, and he has looked really sharp whenever coach Vitor Pereira has given him minutes.

If a player like Owen Oseni who plays for Plymouth can make the squad, then Awoniyi will feel undone for not making the cut.

Nathan Tella

The Bayer Leverkusen forward has struggled with injuries for most of the season, and that has affected his flow. He seemed to have bounced back in April, as featured in seven straight games, registering two assists and one goal.

But a muscle issue saw him miss Bayer Leverkusen’s last two games of the Bundesliga campaign. Perhaps if he was fit, he would have made the cut.

Ola Aina

Ola Aina has been a mainstay at the back for Nottingham Forest this season, but injuries have also played him a bad hand.

The right-back suffered a muscle injury during Nottingham Forest’s 1-0 win over Aston Villa in the Europa League on April 30. Since then, he has been sidelined. However, while injury might be the reason for his exclusion, there have been rumours that he might not exactly be enthused about playing for the Super Eagles anymore.

Stanley Nwabali

Stanley Nwabali’s exclusion is not particularly a surprise despite his importance to the national team. His current situation of being without a club since February and lack of match fitness has clearly played a significant role in his omission from the squad.

Tolu Arokodare

For Tolu Arokodare, his absence is likely down to selection dynamics rather than fitness. With increasing competition in attacking positions, Chelle appears to be prioritizing other forward options as he experiments with his squad.

The Super Eagles star is coming off a dismal campaign with Wolves that saw them get relegated. Playing time has been difficult to come by nowadays, and he has scored just one goal since March.