One day to Tanzania — full house in Uyo, must-win stakes, and the stadium gets its first LED boards

Photo: Super Eagles players · Source: Soccernet.ng (Nov 2024 file photo)

All 24 Super Eagles are in camp after the final seven arrived on Wednesday — and Friday's AFCON qualifier against Tanzania is now a must-win, with Nigeria three points behind Guinea-Bissau.

The Super Eagles’ camp for Friday’s Africa Cup of Nations qualifier against Tanzania opened in Uyo on Monday — but how many players actually arrived is now disputed, with two outlets telling different stories.

Legit.ng reported at 15:31 WAT on Tuesday that 10 players were already in camp — Alex Iwobi, Calvin Bassey, Moses Simon, Ola Aina, Semi Ajayi, Stanley Nwabali, Arthur Okonkwo, Benjamin Fredrick, Akor Adams and Alhassan Yusuf — with more expected before the first training session on Tuesday night.

That contradicts the morning’s account. Punch reported that no player arrived at Victor Attah International Airport on Monday evening — reporters who waited from morning to evening found no player on any flight manifest — and News Point Nigeria reported preparations stalling with players absent. Head coach Éric Chelle arrived in Uyo early on Monday with assistant Daniel Ogunmodede.

The two accounts may reflect different arrival times — Legit says the 10 had arrived “by Monday” — but the discrepancy is unresolved. NewsFlux is not presenting either version as settled. Tuesday night’s first training session settled the arrival dispute — but the player count is still disputed.

Tanzania’s first batch of 22 players and officials landed in Uyo at about 08:10 WAT on Tuesday, Leadership reported, with the second batch expected on Wednesday; the Taifa Stars trained on Tuesday evening.

The first leg against Tanzania is on Friday 13 Nov at 17:00 WAT at the Godswill Akpabio Stadium; the return leg is on Tuesday 17 Nov at Amaan Stadium, Zanzibar — confirmed, resolving the earlier Dar es Salaam vs Zanzibar dispute.

Chelle’s 24-man squad, named on Saturday, has no Victor Osimhen (knee injury), no Maduka Okoye and no Kelechi Iheanacho. Nigeria are second in Group L.

Coach Éric Chelle led the Super Eagles' first training session on the Godswill Akpabio International Stadium training pitch on Tuesday night, moved to 8 p.m. under floodlights after flight-schedule delays. The Sun reports 15 players trained — Calvin Bassey, Ola Aina, Semi Ajayi, Alex Iwobi, Alhassan Yusuf, Moses Simon, Benjamin Fredrick, Akor Adams, and goalkeepers Stanley Nwabali and Arthur Okonkwo.

The count is still disputed: Punch’s headline says 17 trained, but its own body says the seven late arrivals brought the number “to 15”. Punch names the seven late arrivals as Bright Osayi-Samuel, Tolu Arokodare, Chibuike Nwaiwu, Samson Tijani, Tochukwu Nnadi, Francis Uzoho and Ademola Lookman. The seven players listed as still expected — Bruno Onyemaechi, Abdullahi Bewene, Wilfred Ndidi, Fisayo Dele-Bashiru, Taiwo Awoniyi, Moses Usor and new invitee Mubarak Suleiman — arrived on Wednesday, completing the squad.

The squad is now complete. The remaining seven players — captain Wilfred Ndidi, Bruno Onyemaechi, Abdullahi Bewene, Fisayo Dele-Bashiru, Taiwo Awoniyi, Moses Usor and debutant Mubarak Suleiman — arrived on Wednesday, completing the 24-man squad at the Four Points by Sheraton, Ikot Ekpene. The team trains again tonight (Wednesday 11 Nov), with only the opening 15 minutes open to the media.

The return leg is settled: Amaan Stadium, Zanzibar, on Tuesday 17 Nov — resolving the Dar es Salaam vs Zanzibar conflict. Tanzania withdrew Clement Mzize and Dickson Job through injury and called up Azam FC winger Iddi Seleman Nado; their squad is 22 players. Osimhen remains out with his knee injury.

CompleteSports reports goalkeeper Maduka Okoye was dropped, reportedly for persistently reporting late to camp — that reason is reported, not confirmed by the NFF. The first leg is Friday 13 Nov, 17:00 WAT, at the Godswill Akpabio International Stadium, Uyo.

The countdown is now one day. The Super Eagles host Tanzania in the AFCON 2027 qualifier first leg on Friday 13 November, 17:00 WAT, at the Godswill Akpabio International Stadium, Uyo. All 24 players are in camp after the final seven arrived on Wednesday — captain Wilfred Ndidi, Bruno Onyemaechi, Abdullahi Bewene, Fisayo Dele-Bashiru, Taiwo Awoniyi, Moses Usor and debutant Mubarak Suleiman.

Nigeria sit second in Group L with three points — three behind leaders Guinea-Bissau after the 3-0 defeat in September — while Tanzania, already qualified as co-hosts, have one point. Victor Osimhen remains out with his knee injury; Maduka Okoye was dropped, reportedly for persistently reporting late to camp — that reason is reported by CompleteSports, not confirmed by the NFF.

New detail: the Uyo stadium now has digital LED advertising boards for the first time in its 12-year history, installed in time for the Tanzania game. The match is live on SuperSport. The return leg is on Tuesday 17 November, 14:00 WAT, at Amaan Stadium, Zanzibar.

The pre-match press conference is expected today. The follow-up is Friday's result — lose, and qualification is in real trouble.

Update, 12 Nov 2026 (morning): this article was updated with the full 24-man squad, the must-win standings and the stadium's first LED boards. The Okoye dropping reason is reported, not NFF-confirmed.

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