2028 Los Angeles Olympics qualifiers: U-23 Eagles arrive DR Congo with full squad

Spread the word Nigeria’s U23 national team, the Olympic Eagles, have arrived in Lubumbashi, Democratic Republic of Congo, with all 23 invited players now in camp ahead of Friday’s crucial qualifying encounter.

The team’s arrival marks the final phase of preparations for the first leg of their second-round qualifying tie against DR Congo, as Nigeria begin their pursuit of a place at the 2027 Africa U23 Cup of Nations in Egypt, which will also serve as the continental qualifying tournament for the men’s football event at the 2028 Olympic Games in Los Angeles, blueprint reports.

The squad, assembled from clubs in Nigeria and across Europe and the Middle East, comprises three goalkeepers, seven defenders, seven midfielders and six forwards.

Head coach Eric Chelle selected a mixture of established young professionals and emerging talents, with 16 foreign-based players joining seven footballers from Nigerian clubs.

The foreign-based contingent includes players attached to Benfica, Brighton, Fulham, Genk, FC Basel, Molde, Reims and other European sides, underlining the team’s reliance on young talents gaining experience outside the country.

Among the notable selections is goalkeeper Michael Atata of Ikorodu City, who has previously received invitations to the senior national team, the Super Eagles.

Atata will compete with Samuel James of Finland’s SJK FC and Clinton Andy of Rivers United for the goalkeeping position.

The defensive department features Christian Akpan of Belgian side Genk, Victory Akpe of Swiss club FC Basel, Vince Osuji of Norwegian outfit Tromsø IL and Emmanuel Godwin of Czech club Pardubice FC.

They are joined by home-based defenders Odinaka Alfred of Nasarawa United, Emmanuel Ochobi of Rivers United and Aliu Sugau of Barau FC.

In midfield, Chelle has called on Daniel Daga, who plays for Norwegian club Molde, alongside Wilfred George of Kristiansund, John Otomewo of Reims in France and Chibuzor Nwoko of Fulham.

Aderemi Adeoye of Ikorodu City, Sadiq Saleh of FC Metta in Latvia and Victor Samuel of Pardubice complete the midfield options.

The attacking department includes Peter Edokpolor of Portuguese giants Benfica, Sulaiman Sani of Saudi Arabia’s Al-Qadsiah and Umar Abubakar of FC Famalicão.

Brighton forward Zadok Yohanna, Abdullahi Umar of Czech side Hradec Králové and Abdulmuiz Adeleke of Sporting Supreme complete the list of forwards.

The selection also gives the coaching crew options across different positions, with players from several football environments expected to compete for places in the starting line-up.

However, the Olympic Eagles’ preparations have been affected by a fixture clash involving the senior national team.

Chelle, who has responsibility for both the Super Eagles and the U23 side, is expected to be occupied with Nigeria’s 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifying assignment against Tanzania.

The Super Eagles are scheduled to host Tanzania in Uyo on Friday, November 13, the same day the Olympic Eagles face DR Congo in Lubumbashi.

Assistant coach Deniran Ortega is therefore expected to take charge of the U23 team for the two-legged encounter, while Ikorodu City manager Bright Ozebagbe has also been linked with the technical crew as assistant coach.The situation presents an important test for the Olympic Eagles’ technical crew, who must ensure that the players remain focused and execute the team’s game plan despite the head coach’s competing national-team responsibility.

The team had earlier held preparations in Ikenne, Ogun State, before travelling to DR Congo for the first leg.

The first leg will take place at the Stade TP Mazembe in Lubumbashi on Friday, November 13, while the return fixture is scheduled for Tuesday, November 17, at the Remo Stars Stadium in Ikenne-Remo, Ogun State.

The two matches will determine which country advances to the third and final qualifying round of the 2027 U23 Africa Cup of Nations.

Nigeria received a bye in the first round of the qualifying series and were drawn against the winner of the first-round tie between Mauritania and DR Congo. The Congolese progressed to face Nigeria, setting up the two-legged contest.

The Olympic Eagles will therefore need to produce a strong performance away from home before returning to Nigeria for the decisive second leg.

Playing the first match in Lubumbashi could make the encounter particularly challenging, with the home side expected to draw encouragement from their supporters and familiarity with the conditions.

For Nigeria, securing a positive result away from home would provide an important advantage ahead of the return fixture in Ikenne.

The stakes extend beyond the immediate contest, as the U23 AFCON qualifying campaign forms part of Africa’s route to the 2028 Olympic Games.

According to the Confederation of African Football’s qualification format, 42 countries are competing for seven available places at the 2027 U23 AFCON in Egypt, with the hosts automatically qualified.

The qualifying series is being played across three rounds of home-and-away knockout fixtures. The seven teams that emerge from the final round will join Egypt at the continental tournament.

Confédération Africaine de FootballThe 2027 competition will subsequently determine Africa’s representatives at the men’s football event of the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic Games.

Nigeria have a distinguished record in Olympic men’s football. The country became the first African nation to win the gold medal at Atlanta 1996, defeating Argentina in the final.

The Olympic Eagles also reached the final at Beijing 2008, where they settled for silver after losing to Argentina, before claiming bronze at Rio 2016.

However, Nigeria missed the men’s football competitions at the Tokyo 2020 and Paris 2024 Olympic Games, making the current qualification campaign an opportunity to return to the global stage.

The team must first overcome DR Congo before turning attention to the final qualifying hurdle.

With all 23 players now in camp, attention will shift to final preparations, tactical organisation and the selection of a starting line-up capable of delivering a positive result in Lubumbashi.

Goalkeepers: Samuel James (SJK FC, Finland), Clinton Andy (Rivers United), Michael Atata (Ikorodu City).

Defenders: Christian Akpan (Genk FC, Belgium), Victory Akpe (FC Basel, Switzerland), Vince Osuji (Tromsø IL, Norway), Emmanuel Godwin (Pardubice FC, Czechia), Odinaka Alfred (Nasarawa United), Emmanuel Ochobi (Rivers United), Aliu Sugau (Barau FC).

Midfielders: John Otomewo (Reims FC, France), Daniel Daga (Molde FC, Norway), Wilfred George (Kristiansund FC, Norway), Chibuzor Nwoko (Fulham FC, England), Aderemi Adeoye (Ikorodu City), Sadiq Saleh (FC Metta, Latvia), Victor Samuel (Pardubice FC, Czechia).

Forwards: Peter Edokpolor (SL Benfica, Portugal), Sulaiman Sani (Al-Qadsiah FC, Saudi Arabia), Umar Abubakar (FC Famalicão, Portugal), Zadok Yohanna (Brighton FC, England), Abdullahi Umar (Hradec Králové, Czechia), Abdulmuiz Adeleke (Sporting Supreme).