Nigeria’s Olympic Eagles have arrived in Lubumbashi ahead of the first leg of their second-round 2027 U-23 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) qualifying fixture against DR Congo on Friday, November 13.
All 23 invited players are reportedly in camp as they intensify preparations for the encounter under the supervision of assistant coaches Deniran Ortega and Bright Ozebagbe, who have taken charge of the team following its handover by head coach Eric Chelle.
The final squad comprises seven home-based players and 16 foreign-based players. The seven domestic players were selected from an initial group of 31 who spent about two weeks in closed camping at the Remo Stars facility in Ikenne.
Those who made the final cut include Aderemi Adeoye, Atata Michael, Clinton Andy, Muiz Adeleke, Odinaka Alfred, Ochobi Elias and Sugau Aliyu.
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They have now been joined by the foreign-based contingent, which includes highly-rated Brighton winger Zadok Yohanna, Flying Eagles and Molde midfielder Daniel Daga, as well as Benfica B forward Peter Edokpolor, who scored on his Super Eagles debut against Russia.
Nigeria will take on DR Congo at the TP Mazembe Stadium in Lubumbashi on Friday before hosting the return leg at the Remo Stars Stadium in Ikenne on Tuesday, November 17.
The winner over the two legs will advance to the final round of the qualifying campaign for the 2027 U-23 AFCON, scheduled to take place in Egypt next year.
The tournament will serve as Africa’s qualifying competition for the 2028 Olympic Games in Los Angeles, with the continent’s top two teams securing places in the men’s football event.
Nigeria, who won the U-23 AFCON title in 2015, will be hoping to return to the competition after missing the 2023 edition. Their absence marked the first time the country had failed to qualify for the tournament since its introduction in 2011.
The U-23 Eagles have a rich history in Olympic men’s football, having won gold at Atlanta 1996, silver at Beijing 2008 and bronze at Rio 2016. However, they have not featured in the competition in the last decade, making qualification for the 2028 Games another important target for the team.
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