Victor Osimhen will miss Nigeria’s opening AFCON 2027 qualifiers against Madagascar and Guinea-Bissau after failing to recover from a muscle injury. The Galatasaray striker initially made Eric Chelle’s 24-man squad despite suffering the injury during his club’s 3-2 victory over Istanbul Başakşehir on September 4.
However, Osimhen’s recovery has taken longer than expected, ruling him out of Nigeria’s upcoming fixtures. The Nigeria Football Federation confirmed his absence on September 20. Nigeria will host Madagascar at the Godswill Akpabio International Stadium in Uyo on September 25 before travelling to Guinea-Bissau for their second qualifier on September 29.
Following Osimhen’s withdrawal, Taiwo Awoniyi has been called into the squad to replace the injured forward. Awoniyi returns to the Super Eagles setup after last featuring for Nigeria during the 2025 AFCON qualifiers against Libya in Uyo.
Meanwhile, Chelle still has several attacking options available, including Ademola Lookman, Samuel Chukwueze, Moses Simon, Akor Adams and Tolu Arokodare. Osimhen’s absence means Nigeria will begin their AFCON 2027 qualifiers without one of their established attacking options.
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