Another Key Player out of Super Eagles’ Must-Win World Cup Qualifiers After Serious Injury
- Nigeria’s World Cup hopes have suffered another setback after another top player picked up a serious injury
- Raphael Onyedika has been ruled out for weeks and could miss Nigeria’s World Cup qualifiers in October
- Onyedika joins a long list, including Victor Osimhen, Ola Aina, and Fisayo Dele-Bashiru all battling with injuries
Nigeria’s World Cup qualifying campaign has been dealt another major setback after Raphael Onyedika picked up a serious injury for Club Brugge.
The 24-year-old midfielder is now set to miss the crucial October qualifiers against Lesotho and Benin, leaving the Super Eagles’ midfield thin at a time when they cannot afford to drop points.
Source: Getty Images
According to Soccernet, Onyedika’s injury came in Tuesday’s 5-5 draw with Westerlo in Belgium when his knee appeared to buckle without contact.
He immediately clutched his hamstring before walking off the pitch with Club Brugge, confirming the Nigerian will be sidelined for a few weeks.
This is a huge blow for Brugge, where Onyedika has been one of the most trusted players in recent weeks. But it is an even bigger concern for Nigeria as the three-time African champions prepare for two must-win games that will define their 2026 FIFA World Cup hopes.
Injury crisis deepens for Eric Chelle
Onyedika’s absence adds to a growing list of injury problems for new head coach Eric Chelle.
Victor Osimhen remains a major doubt after picking up a knock in Nigeria’s narrow 1-0 win over Rwanda.
Ola Aina is already ruled out with a hamstring tear suffered against South Africa and could even miss next year’s Africa Cup of Nations.
Midfielder Fisayo Dele-Bashiru has also been sidelined for a month after picking up a muscle injury at Lazio.
Together with Onyedika’s latest injury setback, this leaves Chelle scrambling to find solutions in key positions for the upcoming matches.
Nigeria faces Lesotho in South Africa before returning home to host Benin Republic in Uyo, and anything short of six points, the Super Eagles will kiss qualifying for the World Cup goodbye.
Injuries will end Nigeria's World Cup hopes
Meanwhile, Nigerian football expert, Toritseju Williams, speaking exclusively to Legit.ng, shared his concerns over Nigeria’s deepening injury crisis under new head coach Eric Chelle, warning that it could spell the end of the Super Eagles’ World Cup ambitions.
“This is more than just a rough patch, it's becoming a full-blown crisis.
"Losing key players like Raphael Onyedika and potentially Victor Osimhen at such a critical point puts Nigeria in a very key position.
"With Ola Aina already out and Fisayo Dele-Bashiru sidelined, it’s a case of the spine of the team being ripped out just when stability is needed most.”
2026 World Cup Qualification race
Group C remains tight as South Africa sits on top with 17 points, though their points tally could change depending on FIFA’s ruling on the ineligible-player case involving Teboho Mokoena.
Source: Getty Images
As seen on FIFA.com, Nigeria is currently third with 11 points after eight matches, and must take maximum points from their final two games to overtake Bafana Bafana should they also fail to win their matches.
With several first-team regulars now injured, Chelle faces the challenge of naming a competitive squad capable of avoiding a repeat of the results in the first leg, where the Super Eagles played 1-1 with Lesotho and lost 2-1 to Benin.
The October international window could make or break Nigeria’s World Cup dream.
A full-strength squad would have been a boost for the Super Eagles, but with Onyedika and others unavailable, Chelle may have to turn to average players or hand opportunities to youngsters.
Key player returns from injury
In a related development, Legit.ng reported that Super Eagles midfielder Wilfred Ndidi is back in action after missing two matches due to an injury suffered in Bloemfontein.
He started Besiktas’ 4-0 win over Kayserispor and featured for 66 minutes in his first appearance since his injury before Kartal Yilmaz replaced him.
Source: Legit.ng
