Eric Chelle Reportedly Invites 10 New Players in Super Eagles Preliminary Squad for AFCON 2025
- Super Eagles coach Eric Chelle has reportedly included ten new players in the 55-man list submitted to the Nigeria Football Federation
- Nigeria turned their attention to the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) after missing the World Cup
- The NFF are ready to release the expanded provisional list after the Confederation of African Football (CAF) gave a deadline for submission
- Nigeria sports journalist Wale Mustapha believes that Chelle would make a difference at the continental tournament
Eric Chelle has reportedly handed call-ups to 10 new players in his preliminary list submitted to the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) ahead of the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations.
The 35th edition of the continental showpiece is scheduled to take place in Morocco from December 21 to January 18, 2026.
Source: Getty Images
According to NFF, Nigeria have been drawn in group C alongside North African giants, Tunisia, Tanzania and Uganda.
The three-time AFCON winners lost to host Ivory Coast 2-1 in the final of the tournament, with Super Eagles captain William Troost-Ekong emerging the Most Valuable Player (MVP), per BBC.
Chelle hands call-up to 10 new players
Super Eagles manager Eric Chelle has included 10 uncapped players in the 55-man squad for the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations.
According to OwnGoal, the 48-year-old plans to prune down the players from 55 to 30 when the camp resumes on December 8.
The former Mali coach has concluded plans to re-integrate players who were axed during the 2026 World Cup qualifiers due to their unimpressive performance for their clubs, but have been in top form in the last two months.
The Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) mandated Chelle to reach the 2025 AFCON final or risk being sacked. A source in the NFF said:
"If Eric Chelle meets his target during the AFCON, he will automatically get a contract extension which will extend into the period of the next qualifiers for the 2030 World Cup after failing to make it to back-to-back tournaments for the first time since 1994."
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Eric Chelle reportedly names strong 55-man AFCON list to NFF, adds unknown players in squad
The names of the ten players invited are: Anthony Dennis (Goztepe), David Moses (Slavia Praque), Chibuike Nwaiwu (Wolfsberger FC), Rafiu Durosinmi (Viktoria Plzen), Dapo Afolayan (St. Pauli), Ryan Alebiosu (Blackburn Rovers), Tochukwu Nnadi (Zulte Waregem), Onuche Ogbelu (Esperance), Tebo Franklin (Crvena Zvezda) and Ebenezer Harcourt (Sporting Lagos).
Source: Getty Images
Chelle will spring up surprises - Mustapha
Nigeria sports journalist Wale Mustapha said Super Eagles coach Eric Chelle will surprise a lot of doubters during the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) in Morocco.
Speaking in an exclusive comment with Legit.ng, Mustapha said the introduction of the 10 new players is a way of preparing for life after some of the experienced players. He said:
"Nigerians have been clamouring for a change in the Super Eagles because a lot of the players in the squad might not be in top form ahead of the 2030 World Cup.
"We need younger players like Fredrick Benjamin, who are hungry for glory, and the introduction of these younger players to the team early will help in a smooth transition."
CAF announces new process for AFCON
Legit.ng earlier reported that the Confederation of African Football (CAF) will introduce a new qualification process for the 2027 African Cup of Nations to be hosted in East Africa.
The new idea will eliminate the previously adopted preliminary rounds for previous editions, as more teams will have the chance to qualify for the AFCON.
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Source: Legit.ng
