Jesse Marsch has named goalkeeper Owen Goodman, striker Aribim Pepple and forward Tani Oluwaseyi in Canada’s squad for pre-World Cup friendlies against Iceland and Tunisia — all three were on Nigeria’s radar and all three are now in red.
Canada have once again beaten the NFF to the punch. Head coach Jesse Marsch has included Owen Goodman, Aribim Pepple and Tani Oluwaseyi in his squad for Canada’s March friendlies against Iceland and Tunisia in Toronto — three players of Nigerian descent who were at various stages of the Super Eagles’ recruitment process before administrative lapses, unanswered calls, and organisational inertia handed Canada the opening they needed. It is a pattern that is becoming distressingly familiar. As reported by FootballInNigeria.com.ng, the NFF have now lost ground on multiple fronts in the same month, with Italy also securing two Nigerian-heritage defenders. Nigerian fans following the Super Eagles’ response in their own March international window can use the Bet9ja’s promo code today to get started on Bet9ja ahead of Nigeria’s friendlies against Iran and Jordan.
The three cases are each distinct in what they reveal about the problem. Tani Oluwaseyi has effectively already made his choice and is fully committed to Canada, placing him beyond reach for Nigeria at this stage. Goodman and Pepple, however, are a different matter — and that is where the urgency sits.
Owen Goodman: The One That Got Away Through Admin Failure
The story of Owen Goodman is the most painful because it was so avoidable. The 21-year-old Crystal Palace goalkeeper is eligible to represent Nigeria, Canada or England. He had previously made clear that Nigeria was his preference — he engaged directly with NFF president Ibrahim Gusau and was reportedly offered an invitation to the Super Eagles setup. What followed was not a rejection. It was a silence. Proper logistical arrangements were never put in place to complete his integration into the squad, and in the absence of a credible, organised pathway to wear the green and white, Goodman did what any ambitious young footballer would do: he moved toward the country that actually showed up. Canada showed up. Nigeria did not.
Goodman has not yet made a senior competitive appearance for Canada, which technically means the door for Nigeria has not fully closed under FIFA eligibility rules. But with Canada actively building their squad for a home World Cup and Goodman now embedded in Marsch’s planning, the window is narrowing rapidly. Fans backing Nigeria through the current international window can find the Bet9ja’s YOHAIG code for a boosted opening offer on the platform this March.
Aribim Pepple: Still Available, Still Time to Act
Aribim Pepple is the most tantalising case in the group. The Plymouth Argyle forward has scored 14 goals in the Championship this season — a return that speaks for itself at a level of English football where goals are genuinely hard to come by. He was once part of Nigeria’s youth radar, invited to the Golden Eaglets camp ahead of the 2019 FIFA Under-17 World Cup, but that involvement did not result in a cap-tying appearance. Like Goodman, he has not yet featured in a senior competitive fixture for Canada. That gap — however narrow — remains Nigeria’s opening.
A striker scoring 14 Championship goals is exactly the kind of clinical finisher Nigeria’s Super Eagles depth chart is crying out for. The NFF and Eric Chelle’s technical team have a limited window to make direct, personal contact with Pepple and his representatives before Canada’s friendly fixtures convert his involvement from exploratory to committed. Waiting for a newspaper campaign or hoping the player reaches out is not a strategy. As reported by FootballInNigeria.com.ng, the most effective interventions in these cases have always come from direct outreach by the head coach and senior federation officials, not administrative letters. Supporters who follow the Super Eagles can also check out the Bet9ja welcome bonus page to access the latest offers ahead of Nigeria’s upcoming fixtures.
The Broader Picture: A Structural Problem
Canada are co-hosting the 2026 FIFA World Cup alongside the United States and Mexico, which makes their recruitment pitch uniquely powerful right now. They can offer dual-national players the chance to play at a home World Cup before a hundred thousand people in Toronto or Vancouver. That is an extraordinary selling point that no amount of NFF lobbying can easily counter. What Nigeria can offer is heritage, identity, and the chance to represent one of the most passionate football nations on earth — but only if the federation delivers that offer with the credibility and organisation that players and agents demand.
The broader context makes the timing even sharper. Nigeria failed to qualify for the 2026 World Cup after losing to DR Congo on penalties in the CAF play-off final in November 2025, and FIFA has since dismissed the NFF’s eligibility complaint against the Congolese, confirming that Nigeria will not be at the tournament in North America. For the Super Eagles to miss a 48-team World Cup — the most inclusive edition in the competition’s history — and simultaneously lose multiple dual-national players to rival nations in the same window is a governance failure that demands an honest accounting from the federation’s leadership.
📌 Did You Know?
- Canada are automatic qualifiers for the 2026 FIFA World Cup as one of the three co-host nations alongside the United States and Mexico, meaning every player in Jesse Marsch’s squad is guaranteed a World Cup appearance if they remain in the setup — a recruitment advantage no African federation can replicate.
- Owen Goodman returned to Crystal Palace in January 2026 following the early termination of a loan spell at Huddersfield Town, having gained Championship experience that has accelerated his development as a potential top-flight goalkeeper in England.
- Aribim Pepple’s 14 Championship goals this season put him among the top scorers in England’s second division. The Championship is regarded as one of the most physically and tactically demanding leagues in world football, and producing at that level consistently signals genuine Premier League potential.
- Tani Oluwaseyi, the third Nigerian-heritage player in Canada’s squad, has already committed fully to Canada and is not subject to a switch of allegiance — he represents the completed version of the recruitment loss that Goodman and Pepple have not yet finalised.
- Nigeria’s failure to qualify for the 2026 World Cup means the Super Eagles will miss consecutive World Cups for the first time in their modern history, having also been absent from the 2022 tournament in Qatar after losing a playoff to Ghana on away goals.
- Canada’s growing pipeline of Nigerian-heritage players reflects the substantial Nigerian diaspora in cities like Toronto, Ottawa and Calgary — communities that have produced a generation of footballers who grew up in Canada but carry dual cultural identity rooted in Nigeria.
- Jesse Marsch, Canada’s head coach, previously managed Red Bull Salzburg, RB Leipzig and Leeds United before taking the Canadian job. His reputation for developing young attacking talent makes him a credible figure for players like Pepple who are still building their senior international profiles.
