Eric Chelle put 28 players through the first session of the Olympic Eagles' camp at the Remo Stars Stadium in Ikenne on Tuesday 27 October. A two-legged Africa U-23 Cup of Nations qualifier against DR Congo is now two weeks away, and the squad is made up entirely of home-based players.
| Fixture | Nigeria v DR Congo, Africa U-23 Cup of Nations qualifier, second round |
| First leg | Friday 13 November, TP Mazembe Stadium, Lubumbashi |
| Return leg | Tuesday 17 November, Remo Stars Stadium, Ikenne |
| Squad | 31 NPFL players named on 22 October |
| Camp base | AM2PM Hotel, Ijebu-Ode |
| Head coach | Eric Chelle |
A light first night in the rain
Rain fell. Chelle watched. Light work. Premium Times reported that the work on Tuesday evening was kept gentle: stretching, ball work, passing drills and small-sided games. Two sessions followed on Wednesday, at 7.30am and 5pm.
The goalkeepers began separately under trainer Olatunji Baruwa.
Three names were missing. They were still travelling. Chimobi Igwilo, Kenneth Igboke and Chibueze Oputa of Rangers International had only just flown back from Algeria. Rangers lost 3-0 to MC Alger there on 23 October in the second leg of their CAF Champions League preliminary round, and went out 3-2 on aggregate after leading by two goals from the first leg. The club wrote on X that “we fought valiantly and defended our hearts out, but our CAF Champions League journey ends here.” They were excused and due to join on Wednesday.
Who Chelle has to work with
The 31-man list, announced on 22 October, has four goalkeepers, nine defenders, eight midfielders and ten forwards. Sporting Lagos supply five names. Nasarawa United, Rivers United, Warri Wolves and Ikorodu City have four each.
Reports gave the number at Tuesday's session as 28 even though 31 were listed. Nobody explained the gap. It matters little. Still.
A first-round bye means this is Nigeria's opening tie.
DR Congo got here by beating Mauritania over two legs.
What it means for Nigerian football
This is a domestic-league project, and a deliberate one. Chelle has opted for NPFL players, which gives the league a direct stake in the result. Anyone following the NPFL clubs and their stadiums will recognise most of the badges on the list.
The winner moves a step closer to the 2027 tournament in Egypt, which doubles as the route to the men's football event at the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics. Nigeria won gold at Atlanta 1996, silver at Beijing 2008 and bronze at Rio 2016. They did not reach the men's tournament at Paris 2024. Another miss would be hard to defend.
It tests a busy coach too. Chelle's contract and pay are covered in our look at the Super Eagles coach's salary, and his work with two national teams will be judged on the result in Lubumbashi first.
Rangers conceded three goals in Algiers and lost a two-goal lead. Ties turn fast. The return in Ikenne will at least be played on a pitch these players now know well.
This article was most recently revised and updated 30 seconds ago
