Nigeria Awaits Chelle’s Final AFCON Squad as Deadline Arrives

Nigeria will today know the final 26-man Super Eagles squad for the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations in Morocco, as Coach Finidi Chelle meets CAF’s December 11 deadline. While most nations released their squads weeks ago, Chelle instead issued a 54-man provisional list packed with rookies, sparking speculation that “interested parties” were pushing to “smuggle their wards” into the final team.

Injuries have hit the squad hard. First-choice goalkeeper Stanley Nwabali is the latest to withdraw, with Maduka Okoye now expected to take over, while Francis Uzoho returns after being sidelined since his costly error against Ghana. Defensively, the team will miss Ola Aina, Benjamin Fredrick and Felix Agu, and the recent retirement of William Troost-Ekong has added to the concerns.

Nigeria opens Group C against Tanzania on December 23, then faces Tunisia and Uganda.