Nigeria name 24 for the Tanzania qualifiers: Osimhen, Okoye and Iheanacho out, Ndidi captains
Head coach Éric Chelle named a 24-man Nigeria squad on Saturday 7 November 2026 for the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifying double-header against Tanzania — at home in Uyo on Friday 13 November and in Zanzibar on Tuesday 17 November. Victor Osimhen is out injured, Maduka Okoye is dropped for the returning Francis Uzoho, and Kelechi Iheanacho is also left out; captain Wilfred Ndidi leads a squad of three goalkeepers, eight defenders, seven midfielders and six forwards. Nigeria sit second in Group L on three points from two matches, behind Guinea-Bissau on six, and Tanzania — already qualified as 2027 co-hosts — make both games must-win. Defender Semi Ajayi is named in the squad but was forced off injured for Hull City on the same day.
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Key points
- The 24: Nwabali, Uzoho and Okonkwo in goal; Ndidi captains; Lookman, Simon, Adams, Arokodare, Usor and Awoniyi lead the forwards.
- Out: Osimhen (knee surgery), Okoye and Iheanacho (dropped, no reason given), plus Chukwueze, Onyeka, Onyedika and Onuachu.
- Fixtures: Tanzania in Uyo on Friday 13 November, then the return in Zanzibar on Tuesday 17 November.
- Ajayi is in the squad but went off injured for Hull City at Arsenal on Saturday — his availability is undecided.
What happened
The full squad — Goalkeepers: Stanley Nwabali (Chippa United), Francis Uzoho (Omonia), Arthur Okonkwo (Charlton Athletic). Defenders: Bruno Onyemaechi (Olympiakos), Ola Aina (Nottingham Forest), Benjamin Fredricks (Brentford), Semi Ajayi (Hull City), Calvin Bassey (Fulham), Chibuike Nwaiwu (Trabzonspor), Bright Osayi-Samuel (Birmingham City), Abdullahi Ibrahim Bewene (Banik Ostrava). Midfielders: Wilfred Ndidi (Besiktas, captain), Alex Iwobi (Fulham), Alhassan Yusuf (New England Revolution), Tochukwu Nnadi (Marseille), Samson Tijani (Podbrezova), Fisayo Dele-Bashiru (Lazio), Mubarak Suleiman (Slavia Prague). Forwards: Ademola Lookman (Atletico Madrid), Moses Simon (Paris FC), Akor Adams (Venezia), Tolu Arokodare (Ajax), Moses Usor (LASK), Taiwo Awoniyi (Coventry City).
Nigeria's qualifying position leaves no room for a slip: Guinea-Bissau lead Group L on six points, Nigeria have three, and with co-hosts Tanzania already assured a finals place, the group's one open qualifying spot goes to the best-placed non-host team. The 2027 finals run from 19 June to 17 July 2027 in Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda.
Claim by claim
Why this label: The full list is the Nigeria Football Federation's published squad, reproduced identically by the Voice of Nigeria, The Sun Nigeria, The Athletic NG, News Central and The Trumpet; every name checked across those lists agrees.
On the ladder: a claim earns Verified from primary evidence, or from two independent sources that do not copy each other.
Why this label: Osimhen's surgery and omission are Galatasaray's own statement, already carried on this site's checked Osimhen story; the drops are in the federation's list itself and the reports of it, which give no reason for them.
On the ladder: a claim earns Verified from primary evidence, or from two independent sources that do not copy each other.
Why this label: The fixtures, venues and group standings are in the federation's announcement as reproduced by the Voice of Nigeria, The Sun and BusinessDay; some outlets place the return match in Dar es Salaam rather than Zanzibar — the federation's text says Zanzibar, and that is the version carried here.
On the ladder: a claim earns Verified from primary evidence, or from two independent sources that do not copy each other.
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Why this label: Ajayi's inclusion is in the federation's list; the injury is reported by FootyNaija and Complete Sports from the Arsenal match, both of which say a medical assessment will decide his availability — no club or federation update had settled it.
On the ladder: the evidence so far sits low — early, single or social sources. We publish the claim as a claim, never as fact.
What we know / what we don't know yet
What we know
- The full 24-man list, the two fixtures and the group standings, from the federation's published announcement.
- Osimhen is out after knee surgery; Okoye and Iheanacho were dropped with no reason given.
What we don't know yet
- Ajayi's injury extent and whether a replacement is called up — the assessment was still pending.
- The kick-off times for either match — none had been announced in the reporting read.
- Why Okoye and Iheanacho were dropped — no official explanation was given.
Why it matters
This is the squad that must rescue Nigeria's qualifying campaign without its best striker. Chelle's calls — Uzoho back over Okoye, Iheanacho out entirely, and Awoniyi recalled to lead the line — will be judged in Uyo on Friday, and Ajayi's fitness is now the second injury question over the camp after Osimhen's surgery.
Background
Nigeria beat Madagascar 2–1 in Uyo, then lose 3–0 away to Guinea-Bissau in their opening Group L qualifiers.
Chelle names his 24 for the Tanzania double-header; Osimhen's knee surgery is confirmed the same day, and Ajayi goes off injured at Arsenal.
Nigeria face Tanzania in Uyo, then in Zanzibar, in qualifying matchdays 3 and 4.
Update history
No silent edits. Every change is written here, with its time.
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Published in Checking state — checking continues, and claims are labelled as reporting develops. Basis: the federation's published squad list, reproduced identically across five outlets.