AFCON 2025: Eric Chelle Picks New Super Eagles Captain After Ekong’s Retirement
- Eric Chelle has reportedly picked the next Super Eagles captain ahead of the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations
- Captain William Troost-Ekong announced his international retirement days before the start of the tournament
- Troost-Ekong's retirement not only left a defensive void, it left a leadership gap in the Nigerian national team
Eric Chelle has reportedly picked the next Super Eagles captain ahead of the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations after William Troost-Ekong's retirement.
Troost-Ekong, who was named on Chelle's 54-man preliminary list, dropped out after announcing his retirement from international football before AFCON 2025.
Source: Twitter
Ekong admitted that the decision was made after Nigeria fell short of a World Cup ticket following their penalty shootout loss to DR Congo in the playoff final.
The Dutch-born defender made 83 caps for Nigeria over 10 years and was named AFCON 2023’s best player after scoring three goals on Nigeria’s run to the final, as noted by the NFF.
Chelle picks Super Eagles’ captain
According to OwnGoal Nigeria, Eric Chelle has reportedly named Wilfred Ndidi as the new Super Eagles captain ahead of the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations.
The Besiktas midfielder has been the stand-in on-pitch captain for most matches where Ekong was named on the substitute bench, which happened a lot of times during his final days, similar to how he took over from Ahmed Musa.
Veterans Alex Iwobi and Moses Simon will reportedly assist Ndidi, while Galatasaray forward Victor Osimhen will be the third vice-captain.
The decision is expected to be officially confirmed ahead of Nigeria’s opening match against the Taifa Stars of Tanzania on December 23, 2025.
Source: Getty Images
Super Eagles camp opens in Egypt
The Nigerian national team’s camp opened in Cairo, Egypt, on Sunday, December 14, 2025, with goalkeepers Francis Uzoho and Stanley Nwabali as the first entrants.
12 players had arrived in camp as of the time of writing this report, including new invitees Ebenezer Akinsanmiro and Tochukwu Nnadi.
Others include Ademola Lookman, Fisayo Dele-Bashiru, Amas Obasogie, Semi Ajayi, Bright Osayi-Samuel, Igoh Ogbu, and Paul Onuachu, amongst others.
More players are expected to arrive at the team’s camp ahead of the first training session at 8 o'clock Nigerian time tonight, Monday, December 15.
Nigeria will face Egypt at the Cairo International Stadium on Tuesday, December 16, and it is expected to be a training match after FIFA's regulation altered it.
The team will depart aboard a chartered flight to Morocco on Thursday, where they will continue their preparations for the group stage matches.
The Super Eagles have a target of doing better than the previous edition in Ivory Coast, where they reached the final, but lost to the host nation.
Predicted Super Eagles captain
Legit.ng previously analysed the players who are in line to be the next Super Eagles captain after William Troost-Ekong announced his international retirement.
Wilfred Ndidi, who had been captaining the team recently, was top of the list to continue, while others included Kelechi Iheanacho and Chidozie Awaziem.
Source: Legit.ng
