Interim Super Eagles coach Austin Eguavoen has released the Nigeria national football team squad for their final 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) qualifiers against Benin Republic and Rwanda. The list includes Real Sociedad forward Sadiq Umar, who returns to the fold, while K.R.C. Genk’s in-form striker Tolu Arokodare was surprisingly left out.
The 23-man squad features captain William Troost-Ekong, Atalanta’s Ademola Lookman, and reigning African Player of the Year Victor Osimhen. Also included are key contributors like Moses Simon, Calvin Bassey, and Bright Osayi-Samuel, alongside midfield stalwarts Wilfred Ndidi and Alex Iwobi.
Key selections and surprises in the Nigeria national football team squad
Arokodare, who has netted eight goals and recorded three assists in just 13 games for Genk this season, had become a popular choice among fans for a potential call-up. Despite this, Eguavoen has opted to recall Sadiq Umar in the squad, overlooking both Arokodare and Cyriel Dessers, who has also shown strong form with seven goals and three assists for Glasgow Rangers.
Eguavoen’s selection for the Super Eagles’ final qualifying push sees the team targeting at least a draw against either Benin or Rwanda to guarantee a place in Morocco’s AFCON 2025. The Nigeria national football team squad will first face Benin on November 14 at the Stade Felix-Houphouet-Boigny in Abidjan, before returning to Uyo to play Rwanda on November 18 at the Godswill Akpabio Stadium.
Arokodare’s recent stats show him as one of the top-performing Nigerian strikers in Europe, but he joins Nottingham Forest’s Taiwo Awoniyi, who has struggled for form this season, in missing out on the Super Eagles’ squad. Awoniyi has yet to score in the Premier League this season, a contrast to Arokodare’s surge in the Belgian Pro League.
On the other hand, Sadiq Umar is yet to get his season with Real Sociedad on track. He is yet to find the back of the net in eight games across all competitions only providing one assist.
Full Nigeria national football team squad
Goalkeepers: Stanley Nwabali (Chippa United, South Africa), Maduka Okoye (Udinese FC, Italy), Amas Obasogie (Fasil Kenema SC, Ethiopia)
Defenders: William Ekong (Al-Kholood FC, Saudi Arabia), Bright Osayi-Samuel (Fenerbahce SK, Turkey), Bruno Onyemaechi (Boavista FC, Portugal), Gabriel Osho (AJ Auxerre, France), Calvin Bassey (Fulham FC, England), Olaoluwa Aina (Nottingham Forest, England), Victor Collins (Nasarawa United)
Midfielders: Wilfred Ndidi (Leicester City, England), Raphael Onyedika (Club Brugge, Belgium), Alhassan Yusuf Abdullahi (New England Revolution, USA), Fisayo Dele-Bashiru (Lazio FC, Italy), Frank Onyeka (Augsburg FC, Germany), Alex Iwobi (Fulham FC, England)
Forwards: Samuel Chukwueze (AC Milan, Italy), Victor Osimhen (Galatasaray FC, Turkey), Ademola Lookman (Atalanta FC, Italy), Kelechi Iheanacho (Sevilla FC, Spain), Victor Boniface (Bayer Leverkusen, Germany), Moses Simon (FC Nantes, France), Sadiq Umar (Real Sociedad, Spain)
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