Alex Iwobi Confirms Availability for Nigeria Friendlies, Eyes 100th Super Eagles Cap

Fulham midfielder Alex Iwobi has confirmed his availability for Nigeria’s upcoming international friendlies against Poland and Portugal, providing a major boost for the Super Eagles following several key withdrawals from the squad.

Nigeria will be without several players for the June fixtures, including Ademola Lookman, Victor Osimhen, Femi Azeez, Samson Tijani, Alhassan Yusuf and Ebenezer Akinsanmiro.

Iwobi had been a fitness concern after suffering a hamstring injury during Fulham’s Premier League clash against Brentford in April. However, the midfielder recovered in time to feature in Fulham’s final two league matches of the season against Wolverhampton Wanderers and Newcastle United.

The 30-year-old is now on the brink of a historic milestone. If he features against Poland in Warsaw on Wednesday, Iwobi will earn his 100th cap for Nigeria, becoming only the fourth player to reach the landmark after Joseph Yobo, Vincent Enyeama and Ahmed Musa.

Reflecting on Fulham’s campaign, Iwobi acknowledged the club’s progress despite missing out on European qualification.

“The 2025–26 season has wrapped up, a season of ups and downs. Of course, we wanted to secure a European spot, but it wasn’t meant to be. Nonetheless, we’ve got to be proud of what we achieved and how far Fulham has come as a club.”

The midfielder also assessed Nigeria’s performance at the Africa Cup of Nations, where the Super Eagles secured a third-place finish.

“When you go to a tournament you want to win it, but to achieve third place in a tough competition is still credit to ourselves. We always strive to achieve more and improve.”

Having fully recovered from injury, Iwobi says his focus has now shifted to international duty.

“I’m grateful to be back fit after injury. I was able to finish the season feeling good. Of course, I’ve got to get ready for the international break, but I have a little time off to refresh.”

Since making his competitive debut for Nigeria in 2016, Iwobi has become one of the Super Eagles’ most consistent performers, and Wednesday’s clash against Poland could see him join an exclusive club of Nigerian centurions.

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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