Two months ago Yira Collins Sor was watching the Super Eagles at AFCON from his living room, willing them on as a supporter. Now he is in their Antalya camp, preparing to represent Nigeria for the first time.
There is something genuinely refreshing about a footballer who does not hide his emotions. Yira Collins Sor, the KRC Genk winger called up to the Super Eagles for the first time ahead of Nigeria’s friendlies against Iran and Jordan, made no attempt to pretend the invitation was expected. It wasn’t. He was stunned when it came, and he has said so plainly. That honesty, combined with the urgency with which he is approaching this opportunity, makes him one of the most compelling stories to come out of Eric Chelle’s March camp in Antalya, Turkey.
“It was really a shock for me, to be very honest,” Sor told the Super Eagles media team after arriving in camp. “But thank God for everything — to represent Nigeria over more than 200 million people, something I really see to be an honour, it’s a privilege I must not take for granted and I have to push to the maximum.” Those are not words rehearsed for a press conference. They read like what a young footballer actually feels when the door he has been knocking on finally swings open. Super Eagles fans following the Antalya camp can grab the Bet9ja promo code today ahead of Nigeria’s opening friendly against Iran on Friday.
From the Sofa at AFCON to the Training Pitch in Turkey
The timeline Sor described is worth sitting with. Just two months ago, he was watching the Super Eagles compete at the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations in Morocco. He watched every game, nervous for the team, supporting them as any Nigerian fan would from their living room. “Every game they played I was supporting the team and two months later I got a call-up to join this squad,” he said. The speed of that turnaround is striking — from spectator to participant in eight weeks — and it is a testament to the form he has been producing at Genk in the Belgian Pro League.
Sor is not a raw teenager finding his feet. He has previous international experience at youth level, having represented Nigeria at the 2019 FIFA Under-20 World Cup in Poland. That tournament appearance means he arrives in Antalya with some understanding of what international football demands, even if the senior level presents a different challenge entirely. He joins fellow debutants Emmanuel Fernandez and Philip Otele in a camp that deliberately mixes experienced internationals with emerging names, exactly the kind of environment where a player with his profile can make an impression quickly. As reported by FootballInNigeria.com.ng, Chelle’s strategy of widening the Super Eagles talent pool while maintaining a core of established players is visible in this squad’s composition. New Bet9ja users can find the YOHAIG promo code ahead of the friendlies this week.
Pace and Link-Up Play: What Sor Brings to the Table
Ask any winger what they offer and the answer often begins and ends with pace. Sor went further than that. “I am a player with a lot of pace and a player that loves the link-up play,” he told the Super Eagles media team. “So I hope I can give this to the team and together we can achieve more.” The emphasis on link-up play matters because it speaks to a footballer who wants to be involved in combination football, not just a runner in behind. In a Super Eagles front line that already features Ademola Lookman, Samuel Chukwueze and Moses Simon, Sor’s ability to connect play and interchange positions could be a useful additional texture if Chelle wants to experiment with the attacking shape across the two friendlies.
His form at KRC Genk this season has been the foundation for everything that has followed. Genk are historically one of Belgium’s most productive clubs for developing African talent, with a scouting network that has sent players to the Premier League, Bundesliga and Serie A with regularity. Sor operating at that level and catching the attention of the Super Eagles coaching staff suggests his development has reached a point where the step up in quality may not be as jarring as it first appears. Supporters keen to back Nigeria’s new attacking options in the friendly matches can check out the Bet9ja’s current promo code for the latest welcome offers available on the platform.
What This Camp Means for the Bigger Picture
Chelle’s decision to call in Sor, Fernandez and Otele alongside the established core of the squad reflects a coaching staff that is thinking beyond the immediate results in Turkey. Nigeria missed automatic World Cup qualification from the AFCON 2025 campaign and faces a competitive road to the 2026 tournament in North America. Building depth, identifying players who can contribute at international level with short notice, and creating genuine competition for places across all positions is work that has to start now. Yira Sor’s shock call-up — and his response to it — is exactly the kind of story that makes Nigerian football fans believe there is more coming from the pipeline.
📌 Did You Know?
- Yira Collins Sor represented Nigeria at the 2019 FIFA Under-20 World Cup held in Poland, a tournament in which the Flying Eagles were eliminated in the round of 16. That squad included several players who have since graduated to the senior Super Eagles setup.
- KRC Genk, where Sor currently plays, have produced an impressive list of African players who went on to top European leagues, including Wilfried Zaha, Wilfried Ndidi himself, and Mbwana Samatta — making Genk one of the best development environments in European football for players from the continent.
- The Belgian Pro League, in which Sor competes, is consistently ranked among the top ten leagues in Europe by UEFA’s coefficient system, meaning players performing at a high level in Belgium are already operating in a competitive environment with regular Champions League and Europa League participants.
- The 2025 Africa Cup of Nations in Morocco, which Sor watched from home before his call-up, saw Nigeria finish third — the same result the Super Eagles achieved at the 2023 AFCON in Ivory Coast, making back-to-back bronze medals a modest but consistent benchmark for the team under recent management.
- Eric Chelle, the Super Eagles coach who handed Sor his debut call-up, has made squad expansion and youth integration a visible priority since taking charge. The Antalya camp features at least three players receiving their first senior invitations, which is unusually high for a mid-season friendly window.
- Philip Otele, the other debutant in the Antalya camp alongside Sor and Fernandez, is a midfielder who has also been developing in European football. His inclusion alongside Sor signals that Chelle is casting a genuinely wide net for this window rather than relying solely on the established squad.
- Nigeria’s friendly against Iran on Friday is significant beyond the scoreline. Iran have qualified for the 2026 World Cup and are preparing seriously for the tournament in North America, meaning they represent a genuine test of quality rather than a training exercise against a low-ranked opponent.
