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Eric Chelle Unveils Super Eagles Squads for Unity Cup and European Friendlies

Published

4 months ago

2:53 am

Eric Chelle Unveils Super Eagles Squads for Unity Cup and European Friendlies

Eric Chelle has announced separate squads for the 2026 Unity Cup mini-tournament and Nigeria’s upcoming international friendly matches against Poland national football team and Portugal national football team.

The Nigeria national football team head coach named a 27-man squad for the Unity Cup competition set to take place at The Valley, the home stadium of Charlton Athletic F.C., between May 26 and May 30.

Nigeria will begin the defence of their title against the Zimbabwe national football team on Tuesday, May 26, with the winner progressing to the final to face either Jamaica national football team or India national football team.

Among the notable names included in the Unity Cup squad are captain Wilfred Ndidi, goalkeeper Francis Uzoho, defenders Bruno Onyemaechi and Igoh Ogbu, as well as forwards Moses Simon, Akor Adams and Terem Moffi.

The squad also features several first-time invitees including goalkeeper Arthur Okonkwo, defender Emmanuel Fernandez, midfielders Raphael Onyedika, Tochukwu Nnadi and Ebenezer Akinsanmiro. Forward Rafiu Durosinmi also received his maiden call-up to the senior national team.

Several home-based players earned places in the squad, including Michael Atata, Elias Ochobi, Chibueze Oputa, Obinna Igboke, Aderemi Adeoye, Ayobami Junior and Tosin Oyedokun.

For the high-profile European friendlies, Chelle selected a 24-man squad led by stars such as Victor Osimhen, Ademola Lookman, Alex Iwobi, Calvin Bassey and Paul Onuachu.

Nigeria will face Poland at the PGE Narodowy in Warsaw on June 3 before travelling to Leiria to take on Portugal at the Estádio Dr. Magalhães Pessoa on June 10.

The Super Eagles are also preparing for the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifying campaign, where they have been drawn alongside Madagascar national football team, Tanzania national football team and Guinea-Bissau national football team.

Samuel Ahmadu

Samuel Ahmadu is a distinguished multimedia journalist and women's football expert with over 15 years of experience in the industry. On the back of domestic engagement since 2008, he began his international career journey 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.

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