Super Eagles camp swells to 21 players ahead of crucial World Cup Qualifiers

Only Sadiq Umar and Alhassan Yusuf are still being expected

The Super Eagles camp is filling up quickly as Nigeria intensifies preparations for their must-win 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers against Rwanda and Zimbabwe.

As of Tuesday morning, 21 players have arrived, with only Sadiq Umar and Alhassan Yusuf still being expected.

The first batch of players, including Victor Osimhen, Bruno Onyemaechi, Papa Daniel Mustapha, Kayode Bankole, Amas Obasogie, and Tolu Arokodare, arrived early and participated in a gym session on Monday evening.

Later that night, more key players joined the camp, including Moses Simon, Victor Boniface, Raphael Onyedika, Jordan Torunarigha, Stanley Nwabali, Samuel Chukwueze, Bright Osayi-Samuel, and Igoh Ogbu.

By Tuesday morning, several more players had reported, including team captain William Ekong, Wilfred Ndidi, Calvin Bassey, Ademola Lookman, Alex Iwobi, Joseph Aribo and Ola Aina.

Nigeria’s qualification hopes hanging by a thread

With the Super Eagles struggling in the qualifiers—winless in four games and sitting in fifth place with just three points—these upcoming fixtures are crucial.

Head coach Éric Chelle is under pressure to turn things around, as anything less than victory could see Nigeria fail to qualify for back-to-back World Cups.

The team will take on group leaders Rwanda in Kigali on 21 March before hosting Zimbabwe in Uyo on 25 March.

With the stakes high, the arrival of the remaining two players is expected soon as the squad gears up for their first full training session by Tuesday evening.