The Nigerian Super Eagles have gathered in Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire, for a critical Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) qualifier against Benin Republic, scheduled for Thursday. Although all 22 invited players have arrived and started training, Real Sociedad striker Sadiq Umar remains absent, the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) confirmed.
On Tuesday, 22 players joined the first training session at Stade Felix Houphouet-Boigny, where they prepared rigorously under interim coach Augustine Eguavoen. Eguavoen expressed optimism, saying, “We have 22 players, with only one person to join the team in the early hours of Wednesday.” He added that the team atmosphere in Abidjan has been excellent, with players highly motivated for the match.
Early arrivals included goalkeeper Amas Obasogie, defenders Gabriel Osho and Bruno Onyemaechi, and midfielders Fisayo Dele-Bashiru and Raphael Onyedika. Forward stars Moses Simon and Samuel Chukwueze also joined, along with other key players like Wilfred Ndidi and Kelechi Iheanacho. Captain William Troost-Ekong and renowned forward Victor Osimhen arrived Tuesday morning, joined later by South African-based goalkeeper Stanley Nwabali.
Nigeria currently leads Group D with 10 points, and a win on Thursday would secure a spot at AFCON 2025 in Morocco, leaving one final game against Rwanda. However, Troost-Ekong acknowledged the difficulty of the match, recalling Nigeria’s 2-1 loss to Benin in a recent World Cup qualifier. He commented, “It is not going to be easy because the Beninoise are also chasing a ticket… our objective is clear: three points on the night.”
