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2026 FIFA World Cup Qualifying Matches: Chelle picks Ekong, Osimhen, 21 others in final 23



Captain William Ekong, midfielders Alex Iwobi and Raphael Onyedika, and forwards Ademola Lookman and Victor Osimhen have been included in Nigeria’s final list of 23 players for next month’s 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifying matches against Rwanda and South Africa.



Goalkeeper Stanley Nwabali also makes the final cut, just as defenders Calvin Bassey, Olaoluwa Aina and Bright Osayi-Samuel, midfielders Wilfred Ndidi, Fisayo Dele-Bashiru and Frank Onyeka, and forwards Simon Moses, Samuel Chukwueze and Cyriel Dessers.



Greece-based goalie Adeleye Adebayo returns to the group, alongside Unity Cup sensations Felix Agu and Benjamin Fredericks, and forwards Christantus Uche and Tolu Arokodare, who both impressed in the friendly with Russia in Moscow on 6th June this year.



The Super Eagles confront the Amavubi of Rwanda in a Matchday 7 encounter at the Godswill Akpabio Stadium, Uyo on Saturday, 6th September before flying to Bloemfontein to take on South Africa’s Bafana Bafana in a Matchday 8 fixture on Tuesday, 9th September.



FINAL LIST OF 23 SUPER EAGLES FOR RWANDA & SOUTH AFRICA



Goalkeepers: Stanley Nwabali (Chippa United, South Africa); Amas Obasogie (Singida Blackstars, Tanzania); Adeleye Adebayo (Volos FC, Greece)



Defenders: William Ekong (Al-Kholood, Saudi Arabia); Calvin Bassey (Fulham FC, England); Olaoluwa Aina (Nottingham Forest, England); Bright Osayi-Samuel (Birmingham City, England); Bruno Onyemaechi (Olympiakos, Greece); Chidozie Awaziem (Nantes FC, France); Felix Agu (Werder Bremen, Germany); Benjamin Fredericks (Dender FC, Belgium)



Midfielders: Alex Iwobi (Fulham FC, England); Frank Onyeka (Brentford FC, England); Wilfred Ndidi (Besiktas FC, Turkey); Fisayo Dele-Bashiru (SS Lazio, Italy); Raphael Onyedika (Club Brugge, Belgium); Christantus Uche (Getafe CF, Spain)



Forwards: Ademola Lookman (Atalanta BC, Italy); Samuel Chukwueze (AC Milan, Italy); Victor Osimhen (Galatasaray FC, Turkey); Simon Moses (Paris FC, France); Cyriel Dessers (Glasgow Rangers, Scotland); Tolu Arokodare (KRC Genk, Belgium)

Please , Chelle shouldn't start Ndidi and Iwobi. Let Onyedika and Chukwueze start the match. Enough with these terrible midfield play with Iwobi playing like a pregnant woman.

MKPUOGALIGA:
Please , Chelle shouldn't start Ndidi and Iwobi. Let Onyedika and Chukwueze start the match. Enough with these terrible midfield play with Iwobi playing like a pregnant woman.

🤣🤣🤣

mank1234:
Argue the point and stop attacking the young man. Is he right or wrong? Give you reasons for differing

👍✌️

Truidstarr:
Dessers was injured, he is back fit.

Dessers is injured
Was replaced by Boniface
I’d have preferred Moffi though

typicalgamer:
How do you classify a top club

Because i know for sure gala pays wage bill like a top club but aren’t a top club make that make sense

ok

I honestly don't mind Eric Chelle starting Osimhen and Dessers together.

yinkeys:
Dessers is injured
Was replaced by Boniface
I’d have preferred Moffi though

Abi it's Dessers that replaced Boniface... Pls reconfirm.

AndSunGorilla:
How about his expenses in Iraq, tax, accommodation and living expenses. I don't know anything about Iraq but sometimes as you dey earn money abroad na so expenses dey take swallow am too. At the end, wishing Nduka all the best and may he do good things with the new move. "Na wetin we go wack, we dey pursue, make we no jam wetin go wack us", Commander Ebenezer Obey MON.

Kazeem Ahmed a friend and former Kwara United moved from Sweden to Iran and I want to tell you he made his money in Iran and living good life after retirement.

Ragingthunder:
Speaking on his YouTube channel, Oliseh insists that Osimhen and Lookman were unable to join a big club this summer because of the Super Eagles' failures in recent years

This is debatable as both players were just APOTYs in recent years, as a mater of fact both players are kind of pioneers like the Oliseh set who paved the way for other Nigerians to become more marketable in Europe! The last Afcon despite we coming second beam the searchlight more on Nigerian players. Europe is just becoming less liberal these days where resources are becoming scarce hence the lesser opportunities for our guys especially when they are older. You can’t say with the last Afcon performance the eagles have been failures, that performance gave Lookman the APOTY.

Kog45:
Kazeem Ahmed a friend and former Kwara United moved from Sweden to Iran and I want to tell you he made his money in Iran and living good life after retirement.

Iran is different from Iraq boss

Goke7:
This is debatable as both players were just APOTYs in recent years, as a mater of fact both players are kind of pioneers like the Oliseh set who paved the way for other Nigerians to become more marketable in Europe! The last Afcon despite we coming second beam the searchlight more on Nigerian players. Europe is just becoming less liberal these days where resources are becoming scarce hence the lesser opportunities for our guys especially when they are older. You can’t say with the last Afcon performance the eagles have been failures, that performance gave Lookman the APOTY.

You are right about the reduced liberality in Europe
It's just not as before, and unfortunately some of our players have been affected by it..

Truidstarr:
Abi it's Dessers that replaced Boniface... Pls reconfirm.

My source is from naira bxt Twitter
What about you ?

Diamond 4-4-2
Pressing, attacking without clumsiness.

Nwabali

Agu - Ekong - Bassey - Aina

Onyedika

Iwobi - - Uche

Dele-Bashiru

Dessers - Osimhen

Osimhen, Dessers and Bashiru because we need good runs for iwobi, technicality and half chances buried

elyte89:
I would av replaced Tolu with akor ..but I just heard he’s injured ….cos everything Tolu does; osimhen will do it better …Tolu is just another onauchu

what attribute does akor has that puts him ahead of tolu?

MKPUOGALIGA:
Please , Chelle shouldn't start Ndidi and Iwobi. Let Onyedika and Chukwueze start the match. Enough with these terrible midfield play with Iwobi playing like a pregnant woman.

so who is going to be the creator??

joelsteron:
Diamond 4-4-2
Pressing, attacking without clumsiness.

Nwabali

Agu - Ekong - Bassey - Aina

Onyedika

Iwobi - - Uche

Dele-Bashiru

Dessers - Osimhen

Osimhen, Dessers Bashiru because we need good runs for iwobi, technicality and half chances buried

aina on the left when we have onyemechi?

Ragingthunder:
aina on the left when we have onyemechi?

Aina to the right and Agu to the left. Everyone know Agu is better than Onyemechi

do4luv14:
A defender you mean??

number nine on the list. I don't know if its his jersey number. Go and check their list bro

lbrichman2:
You are right about the reduced liberality in Europe
It's just not as before, and unfortunately some of our players have been affected by it..

Yeah I can bet that just two years ago both osihmen and Lookman won’t have faced all the current hurdles after all how popular was osihmen when Napoli bought him for that huge amount. Times have really changed.

Ragingthunder:
what attribute does akor has that puts him ahead of tolu?

Good question.
Sometimes we spin names just for the sake of it
If he had said Moffi, we would have understood

lbrichman2:
We know what it is, whether we say it or not
See the guy Newcastle are buying for €80M
He and Sesko are average at best.. largely unproven..

Victor Osimhen is proven with several seasons of strong performances in the serie A

Either they were avoiding dealings with ADL or they had non footballing reasons to not go after Osimhen..

Again, see Lookman
Available for €50M
A proven player
Again clubs are looking away

It is what it is...

There's definitely something wrong.

Goke7:
This is debatable as both players were just APOTYs in recent years, as a mater of fact both players are kind of pioneers like the Oliseh set who paved the way for other Nigerians to become more marketable in Europe! The last Afcon despite we coming second beam the searchlight more on Nigerian players. Europe is just becoming less liberal these days where resources are becoming scarce hence the lesser opportunities for our guys especially when they are older. You can’t say with the last Afcon performance the eagles have been failures, that performance gave Lookman the APOTY.

Perfectly said. The national team hasn't done badly asides the poor result in World cup qualifier. In fact, being African best and AFCON medalist should open more doors.

If we were to go by Oliseh's analysis, Erling Haland would be no where near ManCity.

I feel he's just trying to psych up the guys to live up to expectations in GWG.

CB - Fredrick Benjamin
CB - Ekong
LB - Bassey
RB - Aina

My defenders for the WCQ against Rwanda and South Africa

joelsteron:
Aina to the right and Agu to the left. Everyone know Agu is better than Onyemechi

not on current form and yes I watched agu against werder bremen and he got tortured

yinkeys:
My source is from naira bxt Twitter
What about you ?

can't see anything like that online. Dessers was on the bench for Rangers on Thursday. Except something happened. But I doubt.

Fifa has published the sanctions imposed by its disciplinary committee for incidents that occurred during the June WCQs.








No sanctions for South Africa.

mank1234:
Perfectly said. The national team hasn't done badly asides the poor result in World cup qualifier. In fact, being African best and AFCON medalist should open more doors.

If we were to go by Oliseh's analysis, Erling Haland would be no where near ManCity.

I feel he's just trying to psych up the guys to live up to expectations in GWG.

probably

MetalJigsaw:
number nine on the list. I don't know if its his jersey number. Go and check their list bro

That is why I said a defender, I had checked the name OKON is listed under defenders

Nomyth:
Fifa has published the sanctions imposed by its disciplinary committee for incidents that occurred during the June WCQs.








No sanctions for South Africa.

just confirmed it. Expected this sha. Like i have always said, we look forward to 2030.
https://inside.fifa.com/news/disciplinary-sanctions-concerning-world-cup-qualifying
A link for anyone that wants to read. Atleast owngoal will rest with using this case as clickbait to increase site views.

do4luv14:
That is why I said a defender, I had checked the name OKON is listed under defenders

IME OKON, those names are 100% Akwa Ibom names.

Kog45:
Kazeem Ahmed a friend and former Kwara United moved from Sweden to Iran and I want to tell you he made his money in Iran and living good life after retirement.

Iran is different from Iraq o. I hope Nduka makes his money too.

So as it stands now we just need to focus on how to get more points to be eligible for the playoffs... FIFA will not deduct any point.