With Nigeria still reeling from their failure to qualify for the 2026 FIFA World Cup after crashing out in the playoff finals against DR Congo, attention has now fully shifted to the upcoming 2026 Africa Cup of Nations. The Super Eagles—three-time African champions will hope to rebuild confidence as they push for a fourth continental title.
Softfootball understands that expectations remain high, with many Nigerians banking on Victor Osimhen, recently nominated for the African Footballer of the Year, to lead the line. The forward is expected to spearhead the country’s attack once again after narrowly missing out on AFCON glory to Côte d’Ivoire last time out.
The announcement of the 55-man preliminary list through the team’s official X account immediately sparked intense reactions online, with fans heavily divided over the selections. They posted:
Comments under the post reflected a wide range of emotions—excitement, frustration, doubt, and outright disbelief. Here are some of the reactions gathered:
@Ogsimpson was excited about the attacking options, saying:
Abeg osimhen, Paul onachu and Tolu is a must oh. We go just dey feed them ball for inside our enemy box. Goals go supplus
@Unc_dee questioned the form of several invited players and the lack of NPFL representation, writing:
Moses simon, kelechi ihenacho, taiwo awonyi, tolu?
Come on na this players are in terrible form at the moment
So its only European based players una dy pick
So there is no talent in our Nigerian league?
One fan, @costaaaaaaa, insisted standards must be higher, declaring:
We can’t accept 2nd place
@Nigerian kungfu was furious about the midfield selection and lack of creativity, saying:
Is there any no 10 in the squad besides Iwobi? Like chance creator and the Iwobi sef is not really a great example of a 10. That’s the greatest mistake this man made with our WC qualifying squad
Another fan @Jekson expressed his disbelief at the size of the squad and the number of attackers, stating:
By this time, I was expecting a final squad list and not preliminary. All left backs being fit, Bruno doesn’t make the squad. 22 attackers in a preliminary list is just absurd tbh
@Daniel Chiemiere doubted the authenticity of Chelle’s selections and wrote:
I’m struggling to believe Chelle is the one who comes up with this list
A lot of questionable names here
@Yusuf Adebanjo advocated for a change in goal, saying:
We have nothing to lose by handing the starting goalkeeping number 1 position to Maduka Okoye. We aren’t expecting much anyway. I don’t even expect the team to make it to the quarters at best
Another supporter @Godzilla ‘mocked several players included in the squad, commenting:
1. Boniface the influencer
2. Iheanacho ( on his way to retirement)
3. Tolu ( Buh turkey wey no fit fly )
4. Sadiq the osctrich
This players has nothing to offer
But guess this is a preliminary squad, a lot of players need to be flushed out Abeg
The release of Eric Chelle’s 55-man AFCON preliminary squad has stirred a national debate as fans question form, merit, creativity, and Nigeria’s attacking options heading into the tournament. After missing out on the 2026 World Cup, the pressure is higher than ever.
Nigeria will now look to Victor Osimhen and the rest of the squad to restore confidence and push for a fourth AFCON title when the final list is eventually confirmed.
