Slavia Prague teenager Mubarak Suleiman joins Nigeria camp for AFCON 2027 qualifiers

Slavia Prague teenager Mubarak Suleiman has joined the Nigeria squad in Uyo for the Super Eagles’ AFCON 2027 qualifiers against Tanzania, one month after a paperwork problem prevented the 19-year-old from making his international debut in Russia.

Suleiman was among the final players to report for duty, in a group led by captain Wilfred Ndidi, completing Eric Chelle’s 24-man squad.

Nigeria face Tanzania at the Godswill Akpabio International Stadium on Friday 13 November before travelling for the return fixture on Tuesday 17 November.

The Slavia forward had been expected to make his debut during October’s friendly against Russia in Nizhny Novgorod. However, the NFF ruled him out because of an issue relating to his residence permit, as reported by Soccernet before the match.

He remains uncapped by Nigeria.

Rapid rise at Slavia Prague

Suleiman moved to Slavia Prague from Nigeria’s Right 2 Win academy in the summer of 2025. He broke into the club’s first team in the spring and signed a contract running until 2031 in September, according to a Fotbalportal profile published on 2 November.

He produced the most productive spell of his young career during the final week of October.

On 27 October, Suleiman scored twice as Slavia beat Zbrojovka Brno 4-0 in the MOL Cup. Four days later, he found the net twice and supplied an assist in a 5-0 league victory away to Jablonec.

That form led to a starting place against Arsenal in the Champions League on 4 November. Arsenal won 2-1 at the Fortuna Arena, with Suleiman substituted at half-time.

He was one of three Nigerians in Slavia’s starting line-up, alongside David Moses and Emmanuel Ayaosi.

Slavia head coach Jindrich Trpisovsky had already highlighted Suleiman’s attacking threat before the victory over Zbrojovka Brno, in comments translated by Soccernet. Midfielder Michal Sadilek also spoke positively about the teenager in the same report.

Qualification pressure limits opportunities

Nigeria are second in Group L with three points, three behind leaders Guinea-Bissau. With both matches against Tanzania carrying significant importance, Chelle may be more inclined to rely on established attacking options including Ademola Lookman, Moses Simon, Akor Adams and Taiwo Awoniyi.

For Suleiman, a place on the bench is therefore the more realistic immediate target. His four goals and assist across two matches, together with a Champions League start against Arsenal, have nevertheless put him firmly into consideration.

Time spent working within the Nigeria squad will also give Chelle the opportunity to assess him at close quarters rather than relying only on match highlights.

The first training sessions in Uyo were affected by the late arrivals, making each remaining day important. Should Nigeria secure a favourable result against Tanzania early in the schedule, Suleiman’s first cap in either fixture could become the next step for the Slavia teenager.