Super Eagles head coach Eric Chelle has invited 31 home-based players to the Olympic Eagles camp for the 2027 U-23 AFCON qualifier against DR Congo. The two legged tie begins in Lubumbashi on November 13.
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Super Eagles head coach Eric Chelle has invited 31 home based players to the Olympic Eagles camp ahead of Nigeria’s 2027 U-23 Africa Cup of Nations qualifier against the Democratic Republic of Congo. The squad has four goalkeepers, nine defenders, eight midfielders and 10 forwards.
Nigeria will travel to the TP Mazembe Stadium in Lubumbashi for the first leg on Friday, November 13. The return leg is at the Remo Stars Stadium in Ikenne on Tuesday, November 17. Fans following Nigerian national teams can read about the meaning of a Bet9ja promotion code.
The winner over two legs will reach the final round of the qualifying series, ahead of next year’s U-23 AFCON in Egypt. That tournament will decide Africa’s representatives at the men’s football event at the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.
Nigeria received a bye into the second round, while DR Congo reached the tie by beating Mauritania over two legs.
All invited players are expected to report to the AM2PM Hotel in Ijebu-Ode on Sunday, October 25, to begin preparations.
The squad is built entirely from NPFL clubs. Sporting Lagos supply five players, while Ikorodu City, Nasarawa United, Rivers United and Warri Wolves have four each. Readers new to betting can see the Bet9ja promotion code snapshot.
Familiar names from recent weeks include Rangers International defender Kenneth Igboke, who scored a penalty in the CAF Champions League first leg against MC Alger, and Sporting Lagos midfielder Victor Samuel, who scored against Plateau United on Matchday 9.
Nigeria won Olympic football gold at Atlanta 1996, silver at Beijing 2008 and bronze at Rio 2016, but they have not featured in the men’s tournament at the Games in the past decade.
A home based squad gives Chelle a look at the league’s best young players, but an away trip to Lubumbashi is a hard assignment. Nigeria will need discipline and a good result before the return leg in Ikenne.
It is also a chance for NPFL players to push for senior call ups, since the invitation comes from the Super Eagles coach himself.
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📌 Did You Know?
- Rangers International have three players in the squad, while Enyimba and Bendel Insurance have two each.
- Wikki Tourists, Barau FC and Sporting Supreme have one player each.
- TP Mazembe, whose stadium hosts the first leg, are five time winners of the CAF Champions League.
- El-Kanemi Warriors played their Confederation Cup home ties against UDIB and Raja Casablanca at the Remo Stars Stadium in Ikenne.
- The four goalkeepers come from Nasarawa United, Rivers United, Sporting Lagos and Ikorodu City.
