Super Eagles head coach Eric Chelle has dropped captain William Troost-Ekong from the starting line up for Nigeria’s 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers against Rwanda.
In Troost-Ekong’s place, Besiktas midfielder Wilfred Ndidi will captain the side. Stanley Nwabali remains the goalkeeper while Benjamin Frederick will play his first ever World Cup qualifiers in defense alongside Fulham’s Calvin Bassey. Ola Aina and Bruno Onyemaechi completes the Super Eagles defense.
In midfield, Ndidi will feature alongside in-form Brentford midfielder Frank Onyeka and Fulham’s Alex Iwobi. Moses Simon and Ademola Lookman will play on the flanks and Galatasaray striker Victor Osimhen will lead the attack.
Osimhen will be hoping to continue his impressive form for Nigeria, especially as he scored two goals against Rwanda, to secure a 2-0 victory in the reverse fixture hosted at the Amahoro Stadium in Kigali.
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Nigeria head into the encounter against Rwanda under mounting pressure following South Africa’s 3-0 win over Lesotho and Benin’s 1-0 victory against Zimbabwe. The Bafana Bafana now lead the table with 16 points, followed by Benin on 11 and Rwanda on eight while the Super Eagles remain fourth with seven points.
Only a victory will keep the Super Eagles within touching distance of their rivals in the race for the group’s only automatic ticket to the 2026 World Cup in the United States, Mexico and Canada.
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