Eric Chelle Drops Musa, Iheanacho, 14 Others Ahead Of World Cup Qualifiers
- Ahmed Musa has been dropped from the Super Eagles squad that will take on Rwanda and Zimbabwe
- The Super Eagles captain made the initial 39-man shortlist for the forthcoming FIFA World Cup qualifiers
- Other players who will not be part of the matches, include embattled Udinese goalkeeper Maduka Okoye and Sevilla flop Kelech Iheanacho
Super Eagles coach Eric Chelle has named his final 23-man team to prosecute the forthcoming FIFA World Cup qualifiers.
Nigeria have a date with Rwanda in Kigali on March 21, and then they host the Warriors of Zimbabwe at the Godswill Akpabio International Stadium in Uyo four days later.
The Super Eagles seek their first victory from the qualifiers having drawn three matches and lost one so far.
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Chelle, who was appointed in January, is mandated to reposition the team in the qualifiers and ultimately secure the World Cup ticket, as per The NFF.
After four matches so far, Nigeria have managed just 3 points, while Rwanda, South Africa and Benin all have 7 points each.
Nigeria's final 23-man squad
- Stanley Nwabali
- Amas Obasogie
- Kayode Bankole
- William Ekong
- Raphael Onyedika
- Bright Osayi-Samuel
- Bruno Onyemaechi
- Calvin Bassey
- Olaoluwa Aina
- Igoh Ogbu
- Wilfred Ndidi
- Raphael Onyedika
- Alhassan Yusuf Abdullahi
- Alex Iwobi
- Joseph Ayodele-Aribo
- Samuel Chukwueze
- Victor Osimhen
- Ademola Lookman
- Victor Boniface
- Simon Moses
- Sadiq Umar
- Nathan Tella
- Tolu Arokodare
Coach Eric Chelle drops 16 players
Meanwhile, Ahmed Musa, who was on the verge of making a national team return, was dropped from the team.
Sevilla flop Kelechi Iheanacho, who made the provisional list, did not make the final cut, while Fisayo Dele-Bashiru was forced out due to injury.
- Maduka Okoye
- Adeleye Adebayo
- Gabriel Osho
- Zaidu Sanusi
- Jordan Torunarigha
- Ifeanyi Onyebuchi
- Fisayo Dele-Bashiru
- Anthony Dennis
- Chrisantus Uche
- Cyriel Dessers
- Chidera Ejuke
- Ahmed Musa
- Paul Onuachu
- Kelechi Iheanacho
- Jerome Akor Adams
- Frank Onyeka
Musa speaks ahead of Rwanda showdown
Kano Pillars captain Ahmed Musa earlier disclosed that Nigeria can reposition themselves in the World Cup qualifiers if they beat Rwanda right there in Kigali.
The former CSKA Moscow forward admitted that missing another World Cup would be a disaster for the country. Musa said via Leadership:
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“The Super Eagles are in a complicated situation right now, but we believe in ourselves that we can still scale through.
“Super Eagles cannot be absent from the 2026 World Cup. It is going to be a big disaster for Nigerian players not to be at the World Cup."
Gernot Rohr names 23 for World Cup qualifiers
Legit.ng earlier reported that Benin Republic head coach Gernot Rohr has officially released his 23-man squad for the 2026 World Cup qualifiers.
The Cheetahs will face Zimbabwe at Moses Mabhida Stadium, Durban in South Africa on March 20 before hosting South Africa at the Felix Houphouet Boigny Stadium, Abidjan in Ivory Coast five days later.
The German handed Atalanta striker Candas Fogbe his first-ever call-up.
Remo Stars second goalkeeper Serge Obassa, as well as captain Steve Mounie, made the final squad.
