Super Eagles head coach Eric Chelle has named his Super Eagles 24-man squad for Nigeria’s 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifying double-header against Tanzania — and the biggest talking point is the name missing from it.
Kelechi Iheanacho, the most in-form Nigerian striker in Europe right now, has been left out despite scoring 17 goals in 14 league games for Bursaspor this season. The 30-year-old found the net again on Friday night, heading Bursaspor in front at Antalyaspor, and his return includes four assists and a record-breaking run of goals in 12 consecutive league matches in Turkish football. Yet when Chelle’s list was published on Saturday, there was no place for him.
It is a call that will divide opinion. With Victor Osimhen ruled out after knee surgery and Samuel Chukwueze sidelined following hip surgery, Nigeria are already short of star power in attack. Iheanacho’s omission means Chelle will lean on a much less celebrated front line for two games Nigeria cannot afford to get wrong.
Iheanacho omission the biggest talking point
The numbers make the decision hard to understand at first glance. Iheanacho has 17 goals and four assists in 14 league appearances for Bursaspor, who sit top of the Turkish second division. He scored in 12 straight league matches — a record in Turkish football — before that run ended against Bandirmaspor last weekend, and he was back on the scoresheet within days.
Chelle has instead chosen Tolu Arokodare of Ajax, Taiwo Awoniyi of Coventry City, Akor Adams of Venezia and Moses Usor of LASK as his striking options, alongside Ademola Lookman and Moses Simon. None of the four centre-forwards can match Iheanacho’s scoring return this season, and the Bursaspor man will feel he has done everything asked of him since moving to Turkey in July.
No reason has been given for the omission, and Chelle has not yet spoken publicly about the selection. For now, Iheanacho’s wait for a Super Eagles recall goes on — and his goals will have to keep doing the talking in Bursa.
Okoye out, Uzoho back in goal
The other major call is in goal, where Maduka Okoye has been dropped. The Udinese goalkeeper misses out entirely, with Stanley Nwabali keeping his place and Arthur Okonkwo retained — and Francis Uzoho returning to the squad. Chelle had promised to settle the goalkeeping question in the last international window, and his answer is a clear vote of confidence in Nwabali, with Uzoho restored as the experienced back-up.
Frank Onyeka is also absent. The midfielder was already a major doubt with the groin injury that forced him out of Coventry’s recent defeat at Everton, and Chelle has not risked him. His place in the midfield goes to a group built around captain Wilfred Ndidi and Alex Iwobi, with Alhassan Yusuf, Tochukwu Nnadi, Samson Tijani, Fisayo Dele-Bashiru and Mubarak Suleiman completing the seven.
New faces and a Slavia swap
There are seven fresh or returning faces in the 24, and several of them tell their own story. Benjamin Fredrick of Brentford comes in at the back, alongside Chibuike Nwaiwu of Trabzonspor and Abdullahi Bewene of Banik Ostrava, while Moses Usor of LASK joins the attack.
Samson Tijani’s inclusion is one of the more eye-catching calls. The former Golden Eaglets captain, who led Nigeria at the 2019 FIFA U-17 World Cup in Brazil, has been handed another chance to establish himself at senior level after impressing for Slovak club FK Podbrezova.
There is also a straight swap at Slavia Prague: Mubarak Suleiman is in, while David Moses — whose omission from the trimmed list was reported on Friday misses out. Monaco striker George Ilenikhena is another name absent from the final list.
The full Super Eagles 24-man squad
Goalkeepers: Stanley Nwabali (Chippa United), Francis Uzoho (Omonia FC), Arthur Okonkwo (Charlton Athletic).
Defenders: Bruno Onyemaechi (Olympiacos), Ola Aina (Nottingham Forest), Benjamin Fredrick (Brentford), Semi Ajayi (Hull City), Calvin Bassey (Fulham), Chibuike Nwaiwu (Trabzonspor), Bright Osayi-Samuel (Birmingham City), Abdullahi Bewene (Banik Ostrava).
Midfielders: Alex Iwobi (Fulham), Wilfred Ndidi (Besiktas), Alhassan Yusuf (New England Revolution), Tochukwu Nnadi (Marseille), Samson Tijani (FK Podbrezova), Fisayo Dele-Bashiru (Lazio), Mubarak Suleiman (Slavia Prague).
Forwards: Ademola Lookman (Atletico Madrid), Moses Simon (Paris FC), Akor Adams (Venezia), Tolu Arokodare (Ajax), Moses Usor (LASK), Taiwo Awoniyi (Coventry City).
What is at stake against Tanzania
Nigeria host Tanzania at the Godswill Akpabio International Stadium in Uyo on Friday, 13 November, before the return fixture in Tanzania on Tuesday, 17 November. Players are due to begin arriving in camp in Uyo from Monday, 9 November.
The Super Eagles sit second in Group L and are chasing Guinea-Bissau, having taken only three points from their first two qualifiers. With Osimhen and Chukwueze out and Iheanacho overlooked, Chelle’s reshaped squad has little margin for error. Two wins would put qualification firmly back in Nigeria’s hands; anything less, and the debate over this selection will only grow louder.
For more on the qualifiers, check today’s predictions.
Photos: SportsBuddy graphic design — no player photograph used.
