Nigeria have announced their 23-man squad for October’s decisive 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers against Lesotho and Benin on Friday, with head coach Eric Chelle handing Sevilla striker Akor Adams a maiden call-up.
Captain William Troost-Ekong headlines the team, while Semi Ajayi, Terem Moffi, Alhassan Yusuf and Olakunle Olusegun all return after spells away from the national side.
Stanley Nwabali retains his place as first-choice goalkeeper, supported by Amas Obasogie and Adebayo Adeleye, while Felix Agu, Bruno Onyemaechi, Bright Osayi, Benjamin Fredrick, and Calvin Bassey are drafted into defence.
In midfield, Alex Iwobi, Wilfred Ndidi, Frank Onyeka and Alhassan Yusuf provide Chelle with both experience and energy.
Nigeria’s forward line is led by Victor Osimhen and also features Ademola Lookman, Moses Simon, Samuel Chukwueze, Terem Moffi, Cyriel Dessers, Tolu Arokodare, the returning Olakunle Olusegun and debutant Adams.
The announcement comes at a critical juncture in Group C of the African qualifiers.
Nigeria’s hopes of reaching the World Cup had appeared to be slipping away after five draws in eight matches, but FIFA’s recent sanction against South Africa has dramatically altered the picture.
The disciplinary ruling overturned South Africa’s 2–0 win against Lesotho in March, awarding a 3–0 victory to the Crocodiles and stripping Bafana Bafana of three crucial points.
The decision means Benin and South Africa are now tied at the top with 14 points each, Nigeria and Rwanda sit just behind on 11, while Lesotho have been lifted to nine. Zimbabwe remain bottom on four and is already eliminated.
For the Super Eagles, the sanction has breathed new life into their campaign. A win over Lesotho in Polokwane on October 10 would take them level on points with the leaders before their final home match against Benin in Uyo four days later.
Two victories could see Nigeria finish on 17 points, which may be enough to secure automatic qualification depending on South Africa’s results in Durban and Mbombela.
Should they fall short, Chelle’s side may still progress as one of the four best runners-up across Africa, but goal difference will then come into play.
Nigeria’s current tally of plus two leaves them at a disadvantage compared to Benin and South Africa, making emphatic victories all the more crucial if they are to secure a spot at the 2026 finals in the United States, Canada and Mexico.
LeBron James began his final NBA season with a defeat as the Philadelphia 76ers lost 114-108 to the Brooklyn Nets in a pre-season game.
The 41-year-old American joined the 76ers in July, describing the move as his final contract in the NBA after a remarkable career spanning more than two decades.
James scored 10 points, grabbed four rebounds, recorded five assists and made one steal in 18 minutes of action in the first half.
As reported by BBC Sport on Friday, despite the defeat, James remained optimistic about his new team’s prospects, admitting that the players would need time to build chemistry and understand one another on the court.
“We’re still trying to put each other in the position to be successful and complement each other the best way we can on the floor. But it’s going to take some time,” James said.
“Tonight was a good sample size for us to build on.”
James featured alongside new team-mates Joel Embiid, VJ Edgecombe and Tyrese Maxey, while Jaylen Brown led the scoring with 18 points.
The four-time NBA Most Valuable Player joined Philadelphia after spending eight years with the Los Angeles Lakers, having previously played for the Cleveland Cavaliers and Miami Heat.
James has won NBA championships with all three previous franchises, claiming two titles with Miami, one with Cleveland and another with the Lakers.
The league’s all-time leading scorer is preparing for a record-extending 24th NBA season and has been selected for the NBA All-Star Game in each of the previous 22 seasons.
He will now look to help the 76ers end their 43-year wait for an NBA championship as the team continues to develop its understanding ahead of the new campaign.
The President of the Nigeria Wrestling Federation, Bashir Adeniyi, has congratulated Team Nigeria on the country’s first-ever medal at the Veterans World Wrestling Championships in Amman, Jordan.
Elias Mika, a former national champion, became the first Nigerian veteran wrestler to win a medal at the event, taking bronze in the 70kg Greco-Roman category.
The championships, organised by United World Wrestling, run from October 6 to 11 and feature Greco-Roman and freestyle wrestling for athletes aged 35 and above.
In a message on behalf of the federation’s board, Adeniyi also praised veteran coach Babatunde James, popularly known as Tunde King, for guiding Mika.
“I congratulate Mapsin Elias Mika and Tunde King on this historic feat. This historic achievement is a moment of immense pride for Nigeria and the entire wrestling community,” he said.
“Their dedication and passion for wrestling, even after retiring from active competition, demonstrate the enduring commitment of our veterans to the development of the sport.”
Adeniyi said the medal had written Nigeria’s name in the record books of world veterans wrestling and strengthened the country’s growing reputation in the sport.
He added that the experience of former athletes could inspire and mentor younger wrestlers.
He disclosed that the federation had deliberately built veteran wrestling into its strategic blueprint to recognise the contributions of former athletes and keep them connected to the sport. He assured veterans that the current board would continue to support their welfare and involvement.
Ten Nigerian players have caught the eye in the weeks before and around the first international break of the season, from Gift Orban and Kelechi Iheanacho’s scoring run in Turkey and Godwin Obaje’s 100-goal landmark at home, PETER AKINBO writes
Calvin Bassey (Fulham)
Bassey has grown from a dependable defender into a leader at Fulham, which makes him one of the most trusted Nigerians in the Premier League.
New head coach Alvaro Arbeloa gave him the matchday captaincy for the club’s opening three league games. “Being able to captain this club is unbelievable,” he said.
The 26-year-old came through the Leicester City academy and has also played for Rangers and Ajax. He has made 105 appearances for Fulham since joining in July 2023, with four goals and one assist. His driving run and shot in the 1-1 draw with Manchester United on September 20 forced a save that led to Fulham’s opening goal.
File; Calvin Bassey
Victor Osimhen (Galatasaray)
Osimhen has made one of the most productive starts to the season of any Nigerian in Europe, as the Turkish champions again built their attack around him.
He found the net in each of Galatasaray’s opening matches and scored six goals in his first four Süper Lig games, including a brace and an assist in the 4-0 win over Erzurumspor. That put him level with Gift Orban at the top of the Turkish scoring charts.
Super Eagles striker Victor Osimhen. Photo: Super Eagles
Tolu Arokodare (Ajax)
Arokodare has revived his career in Amsterdam after a difficult spell at Wolves, who were relegated. He scored six goals in 38 appearances for them last season.
He joined Ajax on loan in July, scored on his debut in a pre-season win over Volendam, and then scored in his first two Eredivisie starts, against Telstar and PSV.
By mid-September he had five goals and two assists in 355 minutes, a goal contribution roughly every 71 minutes. The 25-year-old said that scoring goals is his job, and Ajax have an option to make the move permanent.
File: Tolu Arokodare.
Samuel Chukwueze (AC Milan)
After returning from a loan spell at Fulham, Chukwueze has reinvented himself as a right wing-back under new head coach Ruben Amorim, and he is already one of Milan’s most productive creators. He was Man of The Match in the 2-1 win at Torino on the opening weekend, where he set up Adrien Rabiot’s goal and created four chances, more than any other player in the game. He has three assists in his first four league games.
The 27-year-old had three goals and four assists in 26 appearances for Fulham last season. He has said he wants to be Amorim’s first-choice right wing-back.
Samuel Chukwueze
Rasheedat Ajibade (Paris Saint-Germain)
Ajibade is one of the leading Nigerian women in European football, wearing the number 10 shirt at one of the continent’s top clubs. She scored as PSG thrashed Oud-Heverlee Leuven 5-0 in the Women’s Champions League and in their 3-1 win over FC Fleury 91.
The forward joined the French club from Atlético Madrid on a free transfer in August 2025, on a contract until June 2027.
Rasheedat Ajibade
Ola Aina (Nottingham Forest)
Aina is back at international level after almost a year out of football. He returned to the Super Eagles for the 2-1 win over Madagascar in Uyo and delivered a solid performance.
It was his first appearance for Nigeria since the 1-1 draw with South Africa in September 2025, when he picked up an injury on a poor pitch.
He was an unused substitute in the 3-0 defeat in Bissau to avoid injury at the subpar grounds.
File: Ola Aina
Godwin Obaje (Rangers)
Obaje has joined the most exclusive group in the domestic game, and the milestone puts him among the best Nigerian strikers of his generation. He scored his 100th goal in the Nigeria Premier Football League with an 11th-minute penalty in Rangers’ 1-0 win over Warri Wolves in Ozoro on September 30.
He is the second player in the last decade to reach the mark, and Rangers honoured him before their 3-1 win over Abia Warriors on Sunday.
The 30-year-old has scored 25 goals for Wikki Tourists, where he won the 2016 Golden Boot with 18, 16 for FC Ifeanyi Ubah, one for Plateau United, 23 for Abia Warriors and 35 for Rangers.
“I am very happy to be listed among the great legends in the league,” he told PUNCH Sports Extra.
Rangers International striker Godwin Obaje
Gift Orban (Amedspor)
Orban has revived a career that had stalled and put himself in the Super Eagles conversation, with a start that few forwards in Turkey can match. He scored a hat-trick against Başakşehir to take his tally to six goals in five games, and he now has seven in six league matches.
That put him level with Osimhen at the top of the scoring charts and helped newly promoted Amedspor to the top of the Süper Lig table.
The 24-year-old is on loan from Hoffenheim and scored seven goals for Hellas Verona last season. He has yet to make his Super Eagles debut, and he was left out of Éric Chelle’s squad for the September qualifiers.
Iheanacho has rebuilt his career in Turkey and forced his way back into the Super Eagles with sheer goalscoring. He has 11 goals and two assists in nine appearances since joining Bursaspor as a free agent after his Celtic contract expired, and he has scored in every league match he has played. He equalled a Bursaspor record that had stood for 12 years.
The form earned him a recall to the national team after more than 16 months out, as his last cap was in the Unity Cup final on May 31, 2025. He scored in Nigeria’s 3-3 draw with Russia.
Rafiu Durosinmi (Genk)
Durosinmi’s early goal rate has invited comparison with Arokodare and Paul Onuachu, who both thrived at Genk. He has scored five goals in his first six league games since joining from Pisa for a club-record €10.5m.
He scored in each of his first four games, and the 23-year-old wants at least 20 goals this season, following Onuachu and Arokodare, who both won the Belgian Pro League Golden Boot at Genk.
His scoring run ended in the 3-0 defeat by Club Brugge.
