The Nigeria national football team have officially commenced preparations for their Unity Cup semi-final showdown against the Zimbabwe national football team, with 17 players already arriving at the team’s training camp in London ahead of Sunday evening’s first training session.
Nigeria are scheduled to face Zimbabwe on Tuesday in the semi-finals of the 2026 Unity Cup, with the winner progressing to the final to face either the Jamaica national football team or the India national football team.
The Super Eagles head into the competition as defending champions after defeating Jamaica on penalties to win the 2025 edition of the tournament.
A team official confirmed the latest camp developments via social media, revealing that the squad would begin training on Sunday evening in London.
Among the players already in camp are Terem Moffi, Francis Uzoho, Philip Otele, Arthur Okonkwo and Rafiu Durosinmi.
The full list of players currently in camp includes Junior Ayobami, Al Ameen Tijani, Michael Atata, Adeoye Aderemi, Oputa Chibueze, Ighoke Obinna, Ocholi Elias, Oyedokun Tosin, Philip Otele, Arthur Okonkwo, Femi Azeez, Owen Oseni, Nnadi Tochukwu, Terem Moffi, Francis Uzoho, Chibuike Nwaiwu and Rafiu Durosinmi.
The team’s training sessions are scheduled to take place at Cray Valley FC on Middle Park Avenue.
Nigeria will be aiming to continue their title defence with a strong performance against Zimbabwe as preparations intensify ahead of the crucial semi-final clash.
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.
