Super Eagles: Chelle Hands 13 Players First Senior Call-Ups Ahead of AFCON Qualifiers, Russia Friendly
Super Eagles head coach Éric Chelle has handed out first senior invitations to 13 young talents drawn largely from clubs across Europe and the Middle East, as he continues to widen his options ahead of Nigeria’s upcoming international assignments.
The new invitees span every department of the pitch — goalkeepers, defenders, midfielders and forwards — with some named in Nigeria’s squad for the AFCON 2027 qualifiers against Madagascar and Guinea-Bissau, and others earmarked for the international friendly against Russia. Chelle has deliberately split his squads for the two assignments, using the Russia friendly as a testing ground for emerging talent while established internationals like Victor Osimhen, Ademola Lookman, Alex Iwobi, Wilfred Ndidi, Moses Simon and Ola Aina shoulder the competitive AFCON fixtures.
Meet the Newcomers
Leading the defensive additions is 22-year-old Alverca full-back Isaac James, a versatile operator who can play left-back, wing-back or left centre-back, and who has earned selection in both the wider squad and the AFCON group. He’s joined at the back by 19-year-old Basel centre-back Victory Akpe, a towering 1.95m presence whose rapid rise has taken him from Lithuania to Hungary and now Switzerland.
Between the sticks, SJK shot-stopper Samuel James, a former Flying Eagles youth international now plying his trade in Finland, gets his first taste of senior recognition.
The midfield reinforcements are just as eye-catching. Chibuzo Nwoko, a Fulham academy graduate who once represented England at Under-18 level before switching allegiance to Nigeria, joins alongside Vendsyssel FF’s energetic box-to-box operator Stephen Fumelu, Kristiansund’s Igor Wilfred, and Al-Wasl’s towering defensive midfielder Abdulrasaq Popoola. Slavia Prague’s Mubarak Suleiman, an Abuja-raised talent who scored on his senior debut and has since signed a contract extension to 2031, rounds out the engine-room additions.
Up front, Chelle has cast his net wide. LASK’s experienced winger Moses Usor — a key figure in his club’s recent league-and-cup double — headlines a striking department that also includes Al-Ittihad’s George Ilenikhena, a Champions League goalscorer who chose the Super Eagles over France; Benfica’s towering forward Peter Edokpolor; Famalicão’s Umar Abubakar, fresh off a 21-goal loan spell in Belgium; and Hradec Králové’s Umar Abdullahi, who once banged in 25 goals in a single Under-19 season.
A Glimpse Into the Future
For all 13 players, these call-ups mark their first real shot at breaking into the senior Super Eagles fold — a clear signal of Chelle’s intent to build a deeper, more competitive player pool as Nigeria chase AFCON 2027 qualification and look to the future beyond their current core of stars.
With talent pouring in from Europe, Saudi Arabia and beyond, Nigeria’s next generation is knocking loudly on the senior team’s door.
