By Wale Mustapha
Gent defender Jordan Torunarigha has been called up to replace the injured Nathan Tella in Nigeria’s Super Eagles squad for the upcoming 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers.
The Super Eagles will face Rwanda on March 21st in Kigali, followed by a home game against Zimbabwe on March 25th in Uyo. Tella, who was originally part of the final 23-man list for these matches, was forced to withdraw due to injury.
Tella had been named in Bayer Leverkusen’s squad for their Champions League clash against Bayern Munich on Tuesday, but his manager, Xabi Alonso, confirmed after the match that the winger was not fully fit for action.
An official update from the Super Eagles’ social media confirmed the change, stating, “Camp Update: Jordan Torunarigha has been called to replace injured Nathan Tella. We wish Nathan a quick recovery.”
Torunarigha, who last featured for Nigeria during the qualifiers for the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations, is making his return to the Super Eagles squad. He has earned one cap for his country.
Samuel Ahmadu is a distinguished multimedia journalist and women's football expert with over 15 years of experience in the industry. He began his career at Goal.com in February 2014, where he served as an African women's football correspondent for nearly eight years. During his tenure at Goal.com, Samuel covered major events such as three Women's Africa Cup of Nations (2016, 2018, 2022) and the 2015 FIFA Women's World Cup in Canada plus 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia. His work at Goal.com earned him widespread acclaim, particularly for his in-depth profiles of African football stars, notably Asisat Oshoala, whose rise he documented from her early years to her breakthrough at the FIFA U20 Women's World Cup in 2014. Prior to his role at Goal.com, Samuel freelanced for various print and broadcast media outlets in Nigeria, including Graphics Newspaper, Radio Nigeria, Grace FM, and Savid Newspaper. His extensive experience and expertise led to his appointment to the Nigeria Football Federation's Standing Committee on Women's Football Development from 2016 to 2018. Since February 2018, Samuel has been the Social Media Manager for Nigeria's women's national teams.In 2019, Samuel joined the Confederation of African Football (CAF) as a women's football content contributor and was promoted to Women's Football Editor in 2021. His contributions to women's football continued as he worked as a Media Consultant for Content Creation and Editorials at the 2022 CAF Women's Champions League. Currently, Samuel also serves as the spokesman for the Nigeria Women Football League, further solidifying his influence and dedication to the growth of women's football in Africa.
