Home › National team squads › Nigeria
Nigeria squads for the September–October 2026 international break
38 players in two squads · coach Eric Chelle · announced 17 September 2026 · as of 20 September 2026
The two Nigeria squads Eric Chelle named for the September–October 2026 international break were announced on 17 September 2026 by Nigeria Football Federation. They are the squad for the AFCON 2027 qualifiers and the squad for the friendly. Since then 1 player has been called up and 1 player has left, so 38 players are listed here as of 20 September 2026: 24 in the squad for the AFCON 2027 qualifiers and 23 in the squad for the friendly, 9 of them in both. Among the highest-rated of them in Perfect Eleven are A. Lookman (86), S. Chukwueze (84) and Calvin Bassey (80).
▶ Draft them in Nations XI How Nations XI works
The squads
Players are grouped by position as our sources list them; the role is the one each player fills in the game. Ratings are Perfect Eleven game ratings, the numbers the game deals, not an official or statistical measure: how our ratings work.
Squad for the AFCON 2027 qualifiers 24
Goalkeepers 3
| Player · club | Role | Rating |
|---|---|---|
| Arthur OkonkwoCharlton Athletic | GK | 76 |
| Maduka OkoyeUdinese | GK | 76 |
| Stanley NwabaliChippa United | GK | 76 |
Defenders 9
| Player · club | Role | Rating |
|---|---|---|
| Calvin BasseyFulham | CB | 80 |
| Ola AinaNottingham Forest | RB | 79 |
| Bruno OnyemaechiOlympiacos | LB | 76 |
| Isaac JamesAlverca | LB | 76 |
| Benjamin FredrickBrentford | CB | 76 |
| Emmanuel FernandezRangers | CB | 76 |
| Semi AjayiHull City | CB | 76 |
| Chibuike NwaiwuTrabzonspor | CB | 76 |
| Bright Osayi-SamuelBirmingham City | RB | 76 |
Midfielders 4
| Player · club | Role | Rating |
|---|---|---|
| W. NdidiBeşiktaş | CDM | 80 |
| A. IwobiFulham | CAM | 79 |
| Frank OnyekaCoventry City | CDM | 79 |
| Raphael OnyedikaEintracht Frankfurt | CDM | 76 |
Forwards 8
| Player · club | Role | Rating |
|---|---|---|
| A. LookmanAtlético Madrid | LW | 86 |
| S. ChukwuezeAC Milan | RW | 84 |
| Moses SimonParis FC | LW | 76 |
| Tolu ArokodareAjax | ST | 76 |
| George IlenikhenaAl-Ittihad | ST | 76 |
| Moses UsorLASK | RW | 76 |
| Akor AdamsVenezia | ST | 75 |
| Taiwo AwoniyiCoventry City | ST | 75 |
Squad for the friendly 23
The federation named 24 players for it; 23 of them are listed here.
Goalkeepers 3
| Player · club | Role | Rating |
|---|---|---|
| Stanley NwabaliChippa United | GK | 76 |
| Chibuzor AtataIkorodu City | GK | 76 |
| Samuel JamesSJK | GK | 76 |
Defenders 7
| Player · club | Role | Rating |
|---|---|---|
| Isaac JamesAlverca | LB | 76 |
| Benjamin FredrickBrentford | CB | 76 |
| Emmanuel FernandezRangers | CB | 76 |
| Bright Osayi-SamuelBirmingham City | RB | 76 |
| Kenneth IgbokeRangers International | LB | 76 |
| Victory AkpeBasel | CB | 76 |
| Abdullahi BewaneBaník Ostrava | CB | 76 |
Midfielders 7
| Player · club | Role | Rating |
|---|---|---|
| W. NdidiBeşiktaş | CDM | 80 |
| Raphael OnyedikaEintracht Frankfurt | CDM | 76 |
| Chibuzo NwokoFulham | CM | 76 |
| Stephen MichaelVendsyssel | CM | 76 |
| Georges WilfredKristiansund | CM | 76 |
| Abdulrasaq PopoolaAl-Wasl | CDM | 76 |
| Mubarak SuleimanSlavia Prague | CAM | 76 |
Forwards 6
| Player · club | Role | Rating |
|---|---|---|
| Moses SimonParis FC | LW | 76 |
| Kelechi IheanachoBursaspor | ST | 76 |
| Peter EdokpolorBenfica | ST | 76 |
| Umar AbubakarFamalicão | ST | 76 |
| Abdullahi UmarHradec Králové | ST | 76 |
| Akor AdamsVenezia | ST | 75 |
Squad changes
Changes since the squads were announced, as our sources record them. A player who left a squad is not listed in it above.
- V. Osimhen (Galatasaray) left the squad for the AFCON 2027 qualifiers; Taiwo Awoniyi (Coventry City) was called up in his place on 20 September 2026.
Nigeria in the September–October 2026 international break
3 fixtures, 1 with a result so far. Kick-off times are Eastern Time (ET); a score appears once two published sources confirm it. All 205 international fixtures and results →
| Date | Match | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Fri 25 Sep 12:00 ET | Nigeria v Madagascar AFCON 2027 qualifiers · Group L, matchday 1 | 2–1 |
| Tue 29 Sep 12:00 ET | Guinea-Bissau v Nigeria AFCON 2027 qualifiers · Group L, matchday 2 | no score yet |
| Tue 6 Oct 13:00 ET | Russia v Nigeria Friendly · Nizhny Novgorod Stadium, Nizhny Novgorod | no score yet |
Sources
Where this page comes from: the federation’s own announcement first, then the other sources our research used.
- Nigeria Football Federation (official @NGSuperEagles X account) · published 17 September 2026 · federation
- Vanguard · published 17 September 2026 · secondary source
- Vanguard · published 19 September 2026 · secondary source
- Channels Television · published 17 September 2026 · secondary source
- Channels Television · published 20 September 2026 · secondary source
- Vanguard · published 20 September 2026 · secondary source
- Wikipedia · secondary source