Chelle, Home-based Duo Fly into Rwanda to Await Eagles Full House Today

Duro Ikhazuagbe 

Super Eagles Head Coach,  Eric Sekou Chelle, yesterday led two of the home-based players, Remo Stars’ goalkeeper,  Kayode Bankole and Niger Tornadoes’ midfielder, Papa Daniel, as well as backroom staff of the senior national team to Kigali ahead of the arrival of the pros from Europe.

With the international break officially opening this morning, the team’s Radisson Blu Hotel in Kigali is expected to come alive this evening when virtually all the 23 invited players would have hit camp ahead of Friday’s 2026 World Cup qualifier against table topping Rwanda’s Amavubi.

According to SCORENigeria, Moses Simon, who featured for FC Nantes on Saturday night to clear any injury fears, Igho Ogbu, Stanley Nwabali, Joe Aribo, Raphael Onyedika, Victor Osimhen and  William Ekong are all expected to fly into Rwanda early today while the majority have confirmed their flights to arrive later in the evening for a full-house of call-ups by dinner time. 

The trio of Alex Iwobi, Calvin Bassey (Fulham) and Wilfred Ndidi (Leicester City) were in action last night and are billed to fly into the Rwanda capital later today.

“The last player will come in Tuesday so that we could have at least three full training sessions,” a team official who was part of the advance party to Kigali revealed last night.

The Super Eagles are fifth on the Group C log behind Rwanda, South Africa, Benin Republic all on seven points while Lesotho are fourth on five points.

Nigeria will play Rwanda on Friday, 21st March before taking on Zimbabwe’s Warriors at the Godswill Akpabio Stadium, Uyo four days later.

Win for Eagles in the two games this March will earn the Super Eagles hefty six points while expecting the front runners to drop points in the other remaining fixtures for Nigeria to have smooth ride to the group’s lone ticket to the 2026 Mundial to be hosted by USA, Mexico and Canada.