Super Eagles head coach Eric Chelle has announced plans to defend the Unity Cup trophy with an experimental squad packed with debutants as he blends overseas talent and home-based players to refresh the national team.
Chelle has named a 27-man squad for the Unity Cup tournament in London that includes 12 debutants, marking a significant overhaul of Nigeria’s national team. The purpose is to test new faces and tactics ahead of more important competitive fixtures including the 2026 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers and World Cup qualifiers.
The squad features seven home-based players from the Nigeria Premier Football League including defenders Ego Ogbu of Slavia Prague in Czech Republic, Obinna Igboke of Enugu Rangers, Eleazer Utchoubi of Rivers United and Chibuzo Okputa of Enugu Rangers. The midfield roster includes Samson Tijani of Dukla Prague in Czech Republic, Ayobami Junior of Shooting Stars and Tosin Oyedokun of Ikorodu City.
Notable overseas-based players include goalkeeper Francis Uzoho, defender Calvin Bassey of Fulham, captain Wilfred Ndidi, midfielders Alex Iwobi and Frank Onyeka of Brentford, and forwards Ademola Lookman, Samuel Chukwueze, Moses Simon, Victor Osimhen, Paul Onuachu and Terem Moffi.
The Unity Cup will be played in London with Nigeria facing Zimbabwe as part of the tournament which kicks off in less than a week with games scheduled for June 26, 27 and 30. This is separate from international friendlies in Poland and Portugal where Chelle has named a different squad featuring Osimhen, Lookman and Iwobi alongside other star players.
Chelle revealed in April that he intends to use the Unity Cup as an experimental platform to evaluate uncapped players and NPFL stars before making final selections for major tournaments. He described having one squad for experimentation at the Unity Cup and another for business in Moscow during upcoming qualifiers.
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