Nigeria name injured Osimhen, recall Nwabali, Iheanacho for AFCON qualifiers, Russia friendly

Kelechi Iheanacho and Stanley Nwabali are back in the Nigeria squad, with coach Eric Chelle also recalling defenders Ola Aina and Benjamin Fredrick for the upcoming Russia friendly and Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers.

The Super Eagles will play three internationals in the space of 12 days. Nigeria host Madagascar at the Godswill Akpabio Stadium in Uyo on Sept. 25 before travelling to Bissau to face Guinea-Bissau four days later.

Iheanacho was named on Thursday in Chelle's 24-man squad for the Oct. 6 friendly against Russia in Nizhny Novgorod, ending a 16-month absence from the national team.

The 29-year-old last played for Nigeria in May 2025, when the Super Eagles drew 2-2 with Jamaica in the Unity Cup final in London before going on to win 5-4 on penalties.

Iheanacho's return has been driven by his club form. The former Manchester City and Leicester City forward has made a prolific start to the season with Bursaspor, scoring nine goals in seven league appearances, including finding the net in seven consecutive matches.

Still, Chelle has stopped short of immediately returning him to competitive international football, leaving him out of the squad for Nigeria's opening 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers against Madagascar and Guinea-Bissau.

Instead the coach has stayed with his reliable core of Victor Osimhen, Ademola Lookman, Moses Simon, Samuel Chukwueze, Akor Adams and Tolu Arokodare among his attacking options.

Osimhen missed Galatasaray's Champions League opener and it is unclear whether he will be fully fit for the qualifiers.

George Ilenikhena and Moses Usor have received their first senior invitations, while Portugal-based defender Isaac James is also a first-time call-up.

Russian midfield revolution

The influx of first time call-ups is considerably greater for the Russia friendly where Chelle has selected a substantially changed squad for Nizhny Novgorod. Finland-based goalkeeper Samuel James and Switzerland-based defender Victory Akpe are among the first-time invitees.

Midfield has undergone the biggest overhaul. Chibuzo Nwoko of Fulham, Stephen Michael of Vendsyssel, Igor Wilfred of Kristiansund, Ridwan Abdulrasaq of Al Wasl, Suleiman Mubarak of Slavia Prague and Ikorodu City's Aderemi Adeoye have all been brought into the senior camp for the first time.

In attack, the Malian has brought in Benfica's Peter Edokpolor, Abubakar Umar of Famalicao and Abdullahi Umar of Hradec Kralove as the new faces.

The Russia squad also includes Ikorodu City goalkeeper Michael Atata and defender Abdullahi Bewene of Banik Ostrava as Chelle uses the friendly to look beyond the group he has selected for the two competitive matches.

The changes leave Iheanacho as one of the most experienced players in what will be an unfamiliar Super Eagles group, and give the forward an opportunity to play his way back into Chelle's competitive plans.

Nwabali's return from the cold

Nwabali's return follows a markedly different route. The goalkeeper left Chippa United by mutual agreement in February and subsequently spent five months away from club football while dealing with grief and mental health issues, following the deaths of his grandmother and both parents within a short period.

Nwabali's representative, Mohammed Lawal, told ESPN the goalkeeper had received offers during his time away but chose not to return to football until he felt ready while seeking professional help during his time away and remained in contact with Chelle, who continued to check on the goalkeeper.

Nwabali returned to Chippa in July and made an immediate impact on his return to competitive football, keeping a clean sheet and earning man of the match honours in his first game in eight months.

He has since reclaimed his place in goal and continued that form into September, making six saves as Chippa held Mamelodi Sundowns to a 1-1 draw on Sept. 12.

Chelle has now brought him back into the Super Eagles, where the competition for the goalkeeper position has changed during his absence.

Nwabali, who was the previous undisputed first choice before his absence, will now compete with Udinese's Maduka Okoye and Charlton Athletic's Arthur Okonkwo for the AFCON qualifiers. Okonkwo impressed during the Unity Cup and subsequent internationals while Nwabali was unavailable.

Nwabali is also one of the relatively small number of established internationals retained for the Russia friendly, where Atata and Samuel James complete the goalkeeping group.

Fredrick returns from injury

Aina and Fredrick have also returned to strengthen Chelle's defensive options for the competitive fixtures.

Fredrick's return comes after a lengthy injury absence that kept him out for 287 days and ruled him out of Nigeria's Africa Cup of Nations campaign in Morocco.

The Brentford defender returned to competitive action with the club's under-21 side at the end of August, having not played since November 2025.

Before the injury, the 21-year-old had established himself in Chelle's team and played all 120 minutes in each of Nigeria's World Cup playoff matches against Gabon and DR Congo.

Chelle has selected Fredrick for all three games, giving the defender an extended run with the national team following his return.

Aina also returns for the qualifiers and joins a defensive group that includes Calvin Bassey, Semi Ajayi, Bright Osayi-Samuel, Bruno Onyemaechi, Fredricks, Chibuike Nwaiwu and James.

Squad for AFCON qualifiers

Goalkeepers: Arthur Okonkwo (Charlton Athletic, England); Maduka Okoye (Udinese Calcio, Italy); Stanley Nwabali (Chippa United, South Africa)

Defenders: Bruno Onyemaechi (Olympiakos, Greece); Isaac James (Alverca FC, Portugal); Benjamin Fredrick (Brentford FC, England); Emmanuel Fernandez (Glasgow Rangers, Scotland); Oluwasemilogo Ajayi (Hull City, England); Calvin Bassey (Fulham FC, England); Chibuike Nwaiwu (Trabzonspor FC, Turkey); Bright Osayi-Samuel (Birmingham FC, England); Olaoluwa Aina (Nottingham Forest, England)

Midfielders: Wilfred Ndidi (Besiktas FC, Turkey); Alex Iwobi (Fulham FC, England); Raphael Onyedika (Eintracht Frankfurt, Germany); Frank Onyeka (Coventry City, England)

Forwards: Moses Simon (Paris FC, France); Victor Osimhen (Galatasaray FC, Turkey); Akor Adams (Venezia FC, Italy); Samuel Chukwueze (AC Milan, Italy); Ademola Lookman (Atletico Madrid, Spain); Tolu Arokodare (Ajax FC, The Netherlands); George Ilhenikina (Al Ittihad, Saudi Arabia); Moses Usor (LASK FC, Austria)

Squad for Russia friendly

Goalkeepers: Michael Atata (Ikorodu City); Samuel James (SJK FC, Finland); Stanley Nwabali (Chippa United, South Africa)

Defenders: Kenneth Igboke (Enugu Rangers); Isaac James (Alverca FC, Portugal); Benjamin Fredricks (Brentford FC, England); Emmanuel Fernandez (Glasgow Rangers, Scotland); Victory Akpe (FC Basel, Switzerland); Bright Osayi-Samuel (Birmingham FC, England); Abdullahi Bewene (FC Banik Ostrava, Czechia)

Midfielders: Wilfred Ndidi (Besiktas FC, Turkey); Raphael Onyedika (Eintracht Frankfurt, Germany); Chibuzo Nwoko (Fulham FC, England); Stephen Michael (Vendsyssel FF, Denmark); Igor Wilfred (Kristiansund FC, Norway); Ridwan Abdulrasaq (Al Wasl, UAE); Suleiman Mubarak (Slavia Prague, Czechia); Aderemi Adeoye (Ikorodu City)

Forwards: Kelechi Iheanacho (Bursaspor FC, Turkey); Moses Simon (Paris FC, France); Akor Adams (Venezia FC, Italy); Peter Edokpolor (SL Benfica, Portugal); Abubakar Umar (FC Famalicao, Portugal); Abdullahi Umar (Hradec Kralove, Czechia)