Super Eagles coach Eric Chelle has called up FC Porto defender Zaidu Sanusi and Crystal Palace midfielder Chrisantus Uche as replacements for Birmingham City’s Bright Osayi-Samuel and Panathinaikos striker Cyriel Dessers ahead of Nigeria’s decisive final round of the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers against Lesotho and Benin.
The Nigeria Football Federation confirmed the changes on Saturday, with players expected to begin reporting to camp in Polokwane, South Africa, from Monday.
The Super Eagles face Lesotho first at the Peter Mokaba Stadium before hosting Benin in what could define their qualification hopes.
Osayi-Samuel was not in the Birmingham City squad that faced Wrexham on Saturday in their EFL Championship clash. At the same time, Dessers has been sidelined with a sprain that kept him out of Panathinaikos’ league fixture against Panetolikos on September 28 and their Europa League clash with Go Ahead Eagles on Thursday.
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For Zaidu, this marks his first national team call-up since the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations in the Ivory Coast. The left-back suffered an ACL injury in February 2024 that ruled him out for the entire 2024/25 season, and this invitation is also his first under new Super Eagles head coach Eric Chelle.
The 27-year-old has returned strongly for FC Porto, featuring in all seven league games this season, scoring once, and starting both of their Europa League victories.
Uche, meanwhile, only joined Crystal Palace on transfer deadline day from Getafe and has made one substitute appearance in the Premier League since his move.
The Super Eagles currently sit third in Group C with 11 points, three adrift of joint leaders Benin and South Africa, who both have 14 points. Nigeria’s qualification hopes remain uncertain, as they must win their remaining fixtures and rely on at least one slip-up from their rivals.
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