Chelle calls 31 home-based players to Olympic Eagles camp for DR Congo qualifier
The Olympic Eagles meet DR Congo over two legs on 13 and 17 November. The winners reach the final round of U23 AFCON qualifying, the route to the LA 2028 Olympics.
By John Christian Mmaduabuchi, Chief Editor
· 4 min read · Ijebu-Ode, Ogun State
- Éric Chelle has invited 31 home-based players to the Olympic Eagles’ camp for the U23 AFCON qualifier against DR Congo, the NFF announced on Thursday, 22 October 2026.
- The first leg is in Lubumbashi on Friday, 13 November, and the return leg at the Remo Stars Stadium, Ikenne-Remo, on Tuesday, 17 November.
- The winners reach the final round of qualifying for next year’s U23 AFCON in Egypt, which will decide Africa’s places at the LA 2028 Olympics.
The gist in 30 seconds
- Éric Chelle has invited 31 home-based players to the Olympic Eagles’ camp for the U23 AFCON qualifier against DR Congo, the NFF announced on Thursday, 22 October 2026.
- The first leg is in Lubumbashi on Friday, 13 November, and the return leg at the Remo Stars Stadium, Ikenne-Remo, on Tuesday, 17 November.
- The winners reach the final round of qualifying for next year’s U23 AFCON in Egypt, which will decide Africa’s places at the LA 2028 Olympics.
Éric Chelle has invited 31 home-based players to the Olympic Eagles’ camp for Nigeria’s two-legged Under-23 Africa Cup of Nations (U23 AFCON) qualifier against DR Congo next month, the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) announced on Thursday, 22 October 2026. The players are to report to the AM2PM Hotel in Ijebu-Ode, Ogun State, on Sunday, 25 October.
The first leg is at the TP Mazembe Stadium in Lubumbashi on Friday, 13 November. The return leg is at the Remo Stars Stadium in Ikenne-Remo, Ogun State, four days later on Tuesday, 17 November.
Why it matters
The tie is the first step on Nigeria’s road to the Los Angeles 2028 Olympics. According to the NFF, the winners over two legs “will reach the final round of the qualifying phase for the U23 AFCON to be held in Egypt next year”. That tournament will decide Africa’s representatives at the men’s Olympic football tournament in Los Angeles.
Nigeria’s men won Olympic football gold at Atlanta 1996, silver at Beijing 2008 and bronze at Rio 2016. They have not played at the Games in the 10 years since, the NFF noted.
Who has been called up?
Chelle, who is also the Super Eagles’ head coach, has picked four goalkeepers, nine defenders, eight midfielders and 10 forwards. All 31 play for clubs in Nigeria.
- Goalkeepers: Chinemerem Olughu (Nasarawa United), Clinton Andy (Rivers United), Ebenezer Harcourt (Sporting Lagos), Michael Atata (Ikorodu City).
- Defenders: Gift Subi (Warri Wolves), Hillary Zion (Sporting Lagos), Emmanuel Utake (Rivers United), Chibueze Oputa (Rangers International), Marvelous Freedom (Ikorodu City), Kenneth Igboke (Rangers International), Odinaka Alfred (Nasarawa United), Emmanuel Ochobi (Rivers United), Aliu Sugau (Barau FC).
- Midfielders: Freeman Wuchirwe (Bendel Insurance), Victor Samuel (Sporting Lagos), Umar Mohammed (Nasarawa United), Lucky Oraro (Warri Wolves), Aderemi Adeoye (Ikorodu City), Sani Shuaibu (Warri Wolves), Muhammad Salihu (Sporting Lagos), Jude Eventus (Warri Wolves).
- Forwards: Junior Ikechukwu (Ikorodu City), Timothy Zechariah (Rivers United), Williams Wonah (Enyimba), Ayoola Olaniyan (Sporting Lagos), Chijioke Samuel (Enyimba), Jofrank Joshua (Nasarawa United), Chimobi Igwilo (Rangers International), Alex Oweifaleya (Bendel Insurance), Abdulmuiz Adeleke (Sporting Supreme), Habila Simon (Wikki Tourists).
A GistMatrix count of the NFF list shows Sporting Lagos supplying the most players, with five. Rivers United, Nasarawa United, Warri Wolves and Ikorodu City have four each, Rangers International three, and Bendel Insurance and Enyimba two each. Barau FC, Sporting Supreme and Wikki Tourists have one player each.
The NFF did not say how many of the 31 will make the squad for the two matches.
How did Nigeria get here?
The Olympic Eagles were given a bye into this second round of qualifying. DR Congo reached it by beating Mauritania over two legs, the NFF said.
The opponents will be familiar to Nigerian fans. DR Congo’s senior side beat the Super Eagles on penalties in the African play-off for the 2026 World Cup on 16 November 2025, ending Nigeria’s hopes of reaching the tournament.
Who is running Nigerian football?
The call-up was announced on the same day that FIFA approved a normalisation committee to run the NFF until 31 May 2027 at the latest. Until FIFA and CAF name its members, the federation’s secretariat is running its day-to-day affairs. Read our explainer on what the committee means.
What happens next
- Sunday, 25 October: the 31 players report to camp at the AM2PM Hotel, Ijebu-Ode.
- Friday, 13 November: first leg against DR Congo at the TP Mazembe Stadium, Lubumbashi. The kick-off time has not been announced.
- Tuesday, 17 November: return leg at the Remo Stars Stadium, Ikenne-Remo.
- After that: the winners play in the final round of qualifying. The U23 AFCON in Egypt next year will decide Africa’s places at LA 2028.
Do you follow one of these clubs? Tell GistMatrix which home-based player you expect to break through, and vote in our poll.
Sources
We checked this story against these sources. How we check
- Nigeria Football Federation: LA 2028 Olympics Race: Chelle calls 31 home boys to camp for DR Congo (22 Oct 2026)
- Naija News: Eric Chelle Invites 31 Home-Based Players For U-23 AFCON Qualifier (23 Oct 2026)
- Al Jazeera: DR Congo shock Nigeria on penalties to win African World Cup playoffs (16 Nov 2025)
- FIFA: Bureau of the Council takes key decisions (22 Oct 2026)
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John Christian Mmaduabuchi is a Nigerian filmmaker, creative director, and media professional with extensive experience in digital storytelling, visual journalism, and contemporary media. His Journalism interests span Nigerian and African current affairs, entertainment, culture, technology, lifestyle, media, and the people shaping public conversation. With a background in film direction and documentary production, he brings a strong visual and narrative perspective to editorial work, with particular attention to context, clarity, and compelling storytelling. John is also a creative entrepreneur focused on storytelling, entertainment, culture, and digital content. His professional experience across directing, cinematography, editing, media strategy, and emerging AI technologies gives him a broad understanding of how stories are created, distributed, and consumed in the digital age. At GistMatrix, John contributes to the development and presentation of timely, engaging, and relevant stories for a contemporary audience. His approach to editorial work is grounded in accuracy, context, responsible storytelling, and a commitment to covering stories that matter.
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