Sports
AFCON Qualifiers: 22 Eagles Players Train In Abidjan Ahead Of Benin Clash
Nigeria’s formidable squad arrived confidently at Stade Felix Houphouet-Boigny on Tuesday, with only Spain-based forward Sadiq Umar expected to join them.
A total of 22 players were set to begin the team’s first training session ahead of their highly anticipated Africa Cup of Nations qualifier against neighbouring Benin Republic on Thursday.
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“We have 22 players, with only one person to join the team in the early hours of Wednesday. It has been a particularly great atmosphere here in Abidjan, and we are all very positive going into the first training session ahead of the match,” Coach Augustine Eguavoen told thenff.com on Tuesday.
Eleven players, including Captain and Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) Man of the Competition William Ekong, reigning Africa Player of the Year Victor Osimhen, and his likely successor Ademola Lookman, arrived together on Tuesday morning. They were joined by defenders Bright Osayi-Samuel, Olaoluwa Aina, Victor Collins, and Calvin Bassey, midfielders Alex Iwobi, Alhassan Yusuf Abdullahi, and Germany-based forward Victor Boniface, along with South Africa-based goalkeeper Stanley Nwabali.
Earlier, goalkeeper Maduka Okoye, midfielder Wilfred Ndidi, and forward Kelechi Iheanacho had already arrived, joining the eight players who had been in camp since Monday: goalkeeper Amas Obasogie, defenders Gabriel Osho and Bruno Onyemaechi, midfielders Fisayo Dele-Bashiru, Frank Onyeka, and Raphael Onyedika, and forwards Moses Simon and Samuel Chukwueze.
With 10 points from four matches, seven goals scored, and none conceded, the Super Eagles lead Group D as they prepare for their Africa Cup of Nations qualifier. Their confidence is high as they head into the Stade Felix Houphouet-Boigny, a venue where they triumphed over Guinea Bissau, Cameroon, and Angola during the 34th AFCON finals earlier this year in Côte d’Ivoire.
However, they also faced a setback at this very stadium earlier in the summer, where they were defeated 2-1 by the Cheetahs in a 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifying match, despite initially taking the lead. The Cheetahs were forced to adopt Abidjan as their home venue due to a lack of CAF-approved facilities in their country.
“The stadium is a familiar one for us and we have good memories from the AFCON. We will rather focus on the positive results we have taken away from here and work hard for another good day in the office on Thursday.
“It is not going to be easy because the Beninoise are also chasing a ticket to the final tournament.
However, our objective is clear: three points on the night,” Captain Ekong said on Tuesday.
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Senegalese official Issa Sy, who officiated the Super Eagles’ 1-0 victory over Angola at the same venue during the quarter-finals of the Africa Cup of Nations, has been appointed by CAF as the referee for Thursday’s upcoming match. The game will kick off at 7pm local time (8pm Nigeria time).
Sy will be assisted by fellow Senegalese officials Djibril Camara (Assistant 1), Nouha Bangoura (Assistant 2), and El Hadji Amadou Sy (Fourth Official). Ivorian Rene Williams Sere will serve as the match commissioner, while Angolan Inacio Manuel Candido will act as the referee assessor.
The Super Eagles need just one point from Thursday’s encounter to secure their qualification for the 35th Africa Cup of Nations, which is scheduled to take place in Morocco from December 21, 2025, to January 18, 2026.
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